


Churros, Vampires and Kim Jongin

by kristhaswaggerdaddy



Category: EXO (Band), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, attempted crack, but eventually it becomes two-sided lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-20
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-12-31 22:38:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 36,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12142644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kristhaswaggerdaddy/pseuds/kristhaswaggerdaddy
Summary: Being a Shadowhunter is hard enough. Kyungsoo doesn’t need feelings for a fellow Shadowhunter on top of everything else.





	1. how do you give me so much pleasure? (give me so much pain?)

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is heavily influenced by The Mortal Instruments series, so it would be good if you’ve read it. If not, some stuff can be confusing. Just to get some basic facts down, Shadowhunters are essentially supernatural cops. Downworlders refers to werewolves, warlocks, vampires and faeries. Mundanes refer to humans.  
> The Accords is a law agreed upon by both Downworlders and Shadowhunters to coexist side by side. Disobey the laws stated in the Accords, and Shadowhunters will take action. In The Mortal Instruments, faeries had a falling out with Shadowhunters because they supported an asshole and so things aren’t great with them.  
> Parabatai are a pair of people (can be man-man, woman-woman, woman-man) who have sworn to be brothers/sisters in all but blood, and they protect each other the way they would their own soul. But they’re not allowed to have romantic feelings for one another. Gay bros absolutely not allowed.  
> The plot is loosely based on The Fall of Hotel Dumort from the Bane Chronicles. No, I don’t think I’m obsessed… Do you?

Kyungsoo started off his day like most days; admiring Jongin from afar.

He was perched atop a high chair at the counter in the kitchen, pretending he wasn’t looking at the sliver of skin revealed when Jongin lifted a hand to take out the cereal box from the cabinet above him. The skin on his back was a shade lighter than the rest of himself, but nonetheless golden and silky smooth to the eye. Jongin had always been gorgeous.

Kyungsoo sipped at his coffee languidly. Good stuff, but you could never tell Jongin that. He thought it was vile, though that was easy to say when he had the stamina and energy of an Olympic gold medalist.

“Lucky Charms or Suho’s Cheerios?” Jongin asked cheerfully, setting two boxes on the counter before Kyungsoo.

“Cheerios,” Kyungsoo replied, just for the sake of messing with Suho. The man would be livid once he walked in for breakfast in a bit (he was a nitpicky roommate), but his wrath would be worth the smile on Jongin’s face. Kyungsoo would never pass up a chance like that.

“Cheerios it is,” Jongin said, flipping the flaps open and pouring out the cereal into two bowls.

As he did so, Sehun stumbled into the kitchen, looking bleary eyed and not very Shadowhunter-like. Jongin glanced up at his parabatai, concern etched upon his face. Kyungsoo looked away, pretending he had to get up to get the milk from the fridge.

“Rough night?” Jongin asked.

A scrape as Sehun pulled up a chair. “Yeah,” he groaned, and there was the sound of bones popping and cracking as he stretched. Kyungsoo opened the door and got the milk carton, pointedly shutting it slowly.

It was always— weird, to see Jongin and Sehun together, just talking like normal people. Not that he didn’t get along well with either of them. He had been living with the two dweebs for the last decade. But when there was no one but the three of them in a room, Kyungsoo was usually the third wheeler in their conversations. And he hated to intrude on parabatai bonding time.

Still, he hadn’t eaten yet, so he subjected himself to morning Jongin-Sehun banter.

“You eating Suho’s Cheerios again?” Sehun was asking Jongin.

“Yeah. Want some?”

“No, I want… something that doesn’t crunch in my mouth. Like congee or something. My head hurts from all those faerie drinks I had last night…” Sehun gripped his head in his hands. Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow. Sehun made it no secret that he liked to take a dip into the temptations of the Downworld. But drinking or eating anything from the fey was risky; he could’ve been tricked into staying forever, or turned into a toad.  

“Why’d you take faerie drinks? You’re already effed up as you are now, no need to take it any further,” Jongin said, arching an eyebrow. Sehun glared at him and proceeded to whine for coddling from Kyungsoo.

“Hyung, he’s bullying me,” he complained. Jongin dug into his cereal, crunching happily.

“Not my fault you signed up to be his parabatai for the rest of your life,” Kyungsoo said, trying to keep the censure out of his voice. He couldn’t help a smile though, and hid it behind his cup of coffee.

Sehun rolled his eyes, dropping his head on the table. Jongin poked at his figure with the back of his spoon as Kyungsoo ate his cereal. Damn, but eating something that didn’t belong to him was the best. Jongin clearly agreed, though really, Suho would probably have their heads for this.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear. The mother hen of all the teens currently living in the Seoul Institute, Suho, walked into the kitchen not five minutes later in sweatpants and a pristine, white shirt. He didn’t notice Jongin and Kyungsoo’s breakfast at first, yawning away until he opened the same cabinet as Jongin did and lifted the cereal box. Then he stopped, and he picked it up again.

Jongin slurped noisily at the last bit of his cereal. Suho turned around slowly, and looked at him. To say he looked livid would be an understatement.  

“Did you eat my cereal?” he asked. Even Sehun propped his head up to watch. Jongin batted his lashes, looking down at his cereal bowl as if seeing it for the first time.

“Seems like it.”

Suho inhaled deeply, then exhaled in a loud sigh. “Jongin,” he moaned, running a hand through his already mussy hair, “ _why_?”

“Kyungsoo made me do it!” he pointed at Kyungsoo. Already anticipating that Jongin would drag him into this (of course he would, what else was his purpose on Earth besides making Kyungsoo’s life as difficult as possible), Kyungsoo held up his empty bowl.

“That’s a false accusation. I had the usual Lucky Charms,” Kyungsoo said, then got up to rinse the bowl in the sink.

“Wash that up, please. Jongin, you know I love my Cheerios…” Suho said with a sigh. Kyungsoo grinned as he turned his back to them, washing up his bowl. Jongin handed his over, and Kyungsoo took it to wash up too. Because he was, of course, a sap for Jongin like that.

“But I only had one bowl!” Jongin protested.

“He had two,” Kyungsoo interjected to Sehun’s amusement. Suho beat his fists on Jongin’s arms, cornering him by the fridge and the wall. Kyungsoo finished washing up and left the bowls to dry, sending Jongin a wry smile as Suho muttered empty threats and curses under his breath.

Sehun tried to be helpful by opening the fridge to grab some fruit so Jongin could escape the corner. Jongin ended up being chased out of the kitchen by Suho.

“Just another day,” Kyungsoo said to himself, watching Jongin practically zoom into some other corner of the Institute. He had always been athletic and a good runner.

Seeing as the day was off to a rather good start, Kyungsoo hoped the Downworld citizens and demons of Seoul could keep it down today. Days like these were rare, and he’d been a little behind on his training lately. Kyungsoo needed to practice more.

His aim was generally good, whether with a bow and arrow or throwing stars and like, but his work with the seraph blade could be better. Kyungsoo could take down Chanyeol or even Sehun on a good day, but Jongin… He was the one Kyungsoo could not touch. In fact, the rest of them paled in comparison when it came to fighting, like he’d gotten a little more angel blood than the rest.

Kyungsoo ran into Jinah, Sehun’s sister, on the way to his room. “Hey,” she said rather breathlessly, hair tied up into a messy bun. She was still in her pyjamas, down to her bunny slippers. Sometimes Kyungsoo wondered how siblings could be so different, and yet still maintain the same streak of childishness at the same time.

“Morning. Had your breakfast yet? Suho’s in a foul mood, no thanks to Jingle,” Kyungsoo smiled conspiratorially.

Jinah scoffed a laugh. “You guys need to stop bugging him. He already has enough on his plate just trying to take care of all of us while Mom and Dad are away at Idris. Leave his cereal alone.”

“Jongin threw the ball in the park. I just let it roll down the slope,” Kyungsoo replied. Jinah rolled her eyes in amused exasperation. They parted ways, heading opposite directions in the hallway. Kyungsoo went into his bedroom, and shut the door after himself.

As he changed into something more comfortable to train in, Kyungsoo wondered— not for the first time— why he did not find Jinah attractive, but instead pictured Jongin’s muscled arms or the length of his legs when his mind was idle.

He’d been living in the Institute for twelve years, alongside Jinah and Sehun’s family. The rest of them, Jongin, Chanyeol, Baekhyun and himself either had already lost their parents, or were left in the care of the Seoul Institute while their parents were stationed elsewhere, mostly because there were not enough Shadowhunters to go around since the Dark War.

Kyungsoo’s parents currently resided in Versailles, while Sehun and Jinah’s parents were away at Idris for a fortnight to deal with some issues in the Glass City. It was only day five, but so far so good.

As for Jongin, well. Kyungsoo might’ve been drawn to him at first when they were but young children because he’d never met an orphan before, at the time. His parents had been one of the many casualties in the Uprising.

Of course, when he was older he learned that having an entire set of Shadowhunter family members was rare, but Jongin had seemed small and terribly sad when he was just a five-year-old without his parents. Kyungsoo wanted to give him a hug, and tell him that the world was not over just yet.

He did do that, and received a solemn hug in return. Jongin sniffled into his shirt once, and when they moved apart, Jongin told him that he wanted to play (with a set of wooden swords no less). Kyungsoo adhered to his request, and they’d lived with him since.

When Kyungsoo turned fourteen, he realized he was in love with Jongin, and that he was going to be one of the greatest Shadowhunters who ever lived, if not the greatest of them all.

His prowess in battle, his deadly skills with a seraph blade was nothing like the Seoul Institute had ever seen. And yet, there were softer parts to Jongin, like the way he smiled whenever a stray wandered onto Institute grounds. He could never shoo them away without feeding or petting them just a little, no matter a cat, dog or squirrel.

His generosity wasn’t limited to animals either; too many times, he would take the fall for Baekhyun and Sehun if they’d done something wrong, like breaking an antique vase while fooling around too roughly in the hallways.

Kyungsoo knew Jongin would take the blame because he knew he could get away with it. Baekhyun or Sehun would always receive punishments like cleaning the library but when it came to Jongin, a lecture from Mr. Oh usually sufficed. Kyungsoo suspected Sehun’s parents guessed he wasn’t that clumsy anyway. It was part admiration, part idolized hero and first love all rolled into one. 

When Kyungsoo turned sixteen, Jongin came to him in private to tell him that he wanted to be parabatai with Sehun. He had choked back on confessions of love and affection, instead congratulating Jongin on having found such meaning in life. When Kyungsoo turned seventeen, Kyungsoo watched as Jongin flirted with pixies and female vampires, all of them falling under his charm easily. And who was he to blame them? What’s there not to love about Jongin?

It was then he truly realized that Jongin would never feel the same way as he did, and some things were better left in the dark.

He went from feeling pity, to awe, to sorrow at the sight of Jongin. And still, he stayed on at the Institute even though he was now at the age where he could choose to move overseas if he wanted to. He could go to Los Angeles, London, Tokyo… The world was in the palm of his hands, but Kyungsoo still could not find it in himself to look away from Kim Jongin.

An abrupt knock on his door shook him from his thoughts. Kyungsoo finished putting on his training wear, and went to the door. He felt a hysterical energy before he even opened the door, and was unsurprised to find Baekhyun standing there, waggling his brows.

“Guess who had the wildest night _ever_ in Hongdae.”

“Sehun?” Kyungsoo deadpanned, leaving the door open.

“Bitch, it was me,” Baekhyun’s hand shot out to clip Kyungsoo’s shoulder viciously. He brushed past Kyungsoo into the practice room, staggering exaggeratedly.

“I danced _all night_ with this faerie who looked exactly like Jeffrey Starr, y’know the one from YouTube? It was _so_ crazy,” Baekhyun said. He too, was in his training gear, a stark contrast from his curly, brown hair and a smattering of light freckles across his cheekbones. Baekhyun looked and acted like a child despite being the same age as Kyungsoo.

 _Amazing indeed, how people can be so different from one another_ , Kyungsoo thought. And what was more amazing was that they were parabatai, and that they hadn’t killed each other yet.

“Did you go to the same place as Sehun? Where do you guys even find wild parties like that? Do you get invited or something?” Kyungsoo asked, fitting on a pair of scuffed sneakers by the bed.

“Mm, a mermaid told me about it when I was at another party by the Han River. Then I told Sehun about it because I know you would never contemplate the idea of having fun—”

“I do have fun sometimes. Like practicing with my dagger, or brushing up on my Chthonian.”

“It alarms me, Kyungsoo, that you actually call that _fun_ …” Baekhyun peered into the mirror hanging from the wall beside the door. It was just a small one, no bigger than an A4 sized paper, but from the way Baekhyun looked at it, the mirror might as well have been enchanted by his own reflection.

“Jongin thinks it’s fun,” Kyungsoo muttered absently. He had spent many an afternoon reading in the library, or being taken down (not that he minded) by Jongin in a playful round of ssireum. Some of these days were occasionally punctuated by Sehun’s presence, but Kyungsoo would take what he could get.

“That’s ‘cause he’s freakishly strong and freakishly smart and likes to rub it in everyone’s faces. He’s like a Herondale, except Asian,” Baekhyun snorted.

“It’s not arrogance if it’s justifiable,” Kyungsoo laughed, standing up once he was done with the laces on his shoes. Baekhyun shook his head, rearranging his bangs over his forehead. “Don’t encourage him. Just don’t.”

“As if discouraging would ever stop him from bragging,” Kyungsoo scoffed, “Let’s go train.”

They spent the next three hours in the training rooms, first warming up before meditating for a few minutes, just to get into the right kind of mindset to begin training. Then Kyungsoo and Baekhyun built their way up by doing light exercises and moving onto practicing with their archery, fencing.

They finally ended it with a one-on-one combat session. It felt comfortable, to throw himself into doing something without thinking too much about it. After tossing each other around a couple of times, they agreed to retreat to different sides of the room to train individually.

Kyungsoo had recently picked up judo, which was also good for his stamina, while Baekhyun picked up boxing because it would help him ‘build up some bulk’.

“It’s a little annoying to be so thin sometimes,” Baekhyun complained, bunching the sleeves of his gear to show off his slender arms. He wasn’t weak by any means; Baekhyun just happened to be lean instead of hunky.

“I’m not saying I want to have really thick arms like Arnold Schwarzenegger, but more like… I don’t know, somewhere along the lines of Jongin’s arms?” Baekhyun said, tone lilting into something more teasing. Kyungsoo pretended not to hear him, swinging his arms around like he was trying to warm up. Of course, it was foolish to think that Baekhyun would let someone ignore him.

“Kyungsoo, ya heard what I said?” Baekhyun said a little louder from a few meters away. He grunted back tersely.

“What do you think about Jongin’s arms?” Baekhyun asked again.

“Haven’t noticed them,” Kyungsoo answered, maybe a little too gruffly because Baekhyun ambled over to peer at him closely.

“What?” Kyungsoo barked.

“So you’re not over him yet, huh?” Baekhyun remarked, lowering his voice slightly. Kyungsoo glared at him. He wasn’t a fan of speaking about his feelings, much less outside the vicinity of their rooms. Anyone could walk in, and he didn’t need everyone to know about his feelings for Jongin. He wouldn’t be able to bear it if, worst of all, Jongin found out and turned him away.

“Can you not—”

“— Be so annoying? Yeah, Baek. Get a grip,” a familiar voice drawled. Kyungsoo’s blood turned cold while Baekhyun turned to look at the doors of the training room. He had entered without either of them detecting him. Jongin sauntered over, fixing protective gloves over his hands.

“Mind if I join you guys for a bit of training?” Jongin asked.

“No, not at all,” Baekhyun looked back at Kyungsoo and winked, “I was just about to leave, actually.” Kyungsoo glared at Baekhyun for as long as he dared. He was unfazed, unstrapping his gear as he walked off.

“Great. Were you about to start on judo, Soo?” Jongin asked pleasantly.

Kyungsoo risked a glance in his direction and almost blacked out immediately; he looked _hot_ in training gear, deadly even. His arms were bare, covered with old Marks, silvery over his tan skin. Jongin’s legs, long and lean, were clad in closely fitted trousers. All that _in black_ didn’t help either; he looked like a warrior angel, come to serve justice with his righteousness.

It was worse when he was in full on Shadowhunter gear, covered in black _leather_ and fresh Marks like a trueborn Shadowhunter warrior. When working in teams, Kyungsoo always had to linger _beside_ Jongin rather than behind him so he wouldn’t be overly distracted by Jongin’s hot bod.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo replied, finally returning his attention to executing a Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi on an imaginary Baekhyun. Imaginary Baekhyun was light, and went down easily. Imaginary Jongin would probably wrap a leg around Kyungsoo’s and flip him flat on his face just for kicks.  

“You need a partner for you to practice?” Jongin offered, palms up. Kyungsoo looked at him uncertainly. “Um no, Jingle, you don’t have to…” Jongin gave him a blinding smile, silencing Kyungsoo.

“I insist. How else would you know you’re practicing properly?” Jongin said. He came to place himself right before Kyungsoo, close enough that Kyungsoo had to crank his neck up if he wanted to meet Jongin’s gaze. Why did Jongin have to be so full of common sense and a passion in helping others during training? Why?

To pretend his heart wasn’t beating out of his chest, Kyungsoo tried for light conversation. “Where were you just now? Getting beat up by Suho?” Kyungsoo asked, positioning himself properly.

“Nah, I was in the library with Sehun, reading up on some stuff. His Latin sucks,” Jongin commented, to which Kyungsoo huffed. Language was not Sehun’s strong suit.

“You were here the entire morning?” Jongin asked, just before Kyungsoo pulled at his vest to the left and tripped Jongin’s feet in the same direction at the same time. In a rare moment, Jongin was taken by surprise and fell onto his side with a muffled whump onto the large mat they were standing on. He looked up at Kyungsoo incredulously.

“Excuse me?”

Kyungsoo laughed. “Was that good? Been trying it out,” he said, a little smug. It was hard to practice if Jongin knew what he was about to do. 

“Yes. You got me good,” Jongin groaned, getting back onto his feet gracefully like a panther. Nothing about him wasn’t stunning. “Wanna go again?” Kyungsoo asked, eyeing Jongin’s shoulder.

“It’s fine,” Jongin nodded. Kyungsoo shrugged with a casual air that he did not actually feel and did it again. This time, Jongin resisted, leaning heavily to one side instead of going down. Kyungsoo hefted him back up.

“You’re heavy,” Kyungsoo mumbled. Jongin shot him a smile. At close proximity, it made bile rise to Kyungsoo’s throat. He was always afraid of what Jongin might see in his eyes. A rush of affection and adrenaline that he could not help, even though it was not the first time he saw Jongin smile.

They did it a few more times. Kyungsoo got the technique of it right after the third try, before he told Jongin that he wanted to try something else.

“I just saw this on a video the other day, it’s called Ashi Guruma—”

“Ashi what?” Jongin frowned.

“Never mind. It’s like this,” Kyungsoo rearranged Jongin’s footing and positioned himself, trying to recall how the judo athletes had done it.

“You go like this, and I go like…” Kyungsoo tugged at his vest again, this time towards himself instead of left or right. Jongin took an uncertain step forward while Kyungsoo tried to trip him again, staring into his vest. Jongin’s feet didn’t budge, and Kyungsoo tried again, harder this time.

“Could you just—?” Kyungsoo grunted in annoyance, lifting his head.

He froze when he realized Jongin’s face was mere inches away from his. So close was he that he could make out the little bump on Jongin’s nose and a smattering of breakouts near his hairline. And Angel by him, because Jongin’s harsh exhale puffed across Kyungsoo’s face just then, otherwise Kyungsoo would’ve been content to stand there and do nothing but admire his face.

All thoughts flew out of Kyungsoo’s head. “U-Um,” he stammered.

Jongin’s chest heaved beneath his hands. His nostrils flared slightly as he stared down at Kyungsoo. If Kyungsoo had been a girl, Jongin would’ve pulled him closer in that instant, the way he’d seen Jongin whenever a girl was flirting with him. He’d caress her cheek, tuck her hair behind one ear and lean in…

A flash of self-consciousness came over Kyungsoo, enough to make him let go of Jongin. “I-I… Sorry,” he said, unable to meet Jongin’s eye.

“S’alright,” Jongin murmured back. _By the Angel_ , Kyungsoo thought, looking down at his hands, still red from where he’d gripped Jongin. _I need a breath._

“I-I’m gonna go,” Kyungsoo said, throwing the words over his shoulder as he made for the way. He hardly dared to look at Jongin, afraid of what he might see. Contempt? Confusion? Kyungsoo wasn’t about to find out. _Get a fucking hold of yourself,_ Kyungsoo thought.

-

Kyungsoo practically stormed into his room, thankful that he didn’t bump into anyone along the way. He was however, displeased to find Baekhyun all showered and sprawled over his neat sheets, fiddling with his dagger. Baekhyun looked at him with interest when Kyungsoo came into the room, making it a point to shut the door.

“Back so fast? Hasn’t even been an hour yet,” Baekhyun smirked.

“Shut up,” Kyungsoo said, stripping of his training gear in a hurry. He tossed them all to the ground one by one.

“What’s up, man? Something happened?” Baekhyun asked, sitting up and sheathing the dagger. Kyungsoo shook his head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Aw, c’mon, it can’t all be that bad, really—”

Someone suddenly barged through the door, catching Kyungsoo in the side. He bent over soundlessly, pain spreading like a flame.

He supposed it was karma’s way of getting back at him for what happened in the training room with Jongin. Kyungsoo wasn’t supposed to have feelings for him. He wasn’t supposed to feel anything at all back there.

“Kyungsoo?” he heard Chanyeol’s voice.

“Aye,” Baekhyun tipped his head to one side, observing Chanyeol at the door. “Damn,” Chanyeol remarked when he noticed Kyungsoo, “what happened? Got stabbed or something?”

“ _You_ happened, fool,” Baekhyun answered for Kyungsoo.

Chanyeol made a hasty apology; Kyungsoo waved at him dismissively. He needed a moment to himself anyway, might as well do it on the floor. Ancient carpets didn’t talk back, for one.

“Someone’s found several dead bodies in Olympic Park. There were bite marks, even though the bodies weren’t drained of blood. Suho suspects vampires and wants us to check out the scene, and then maybe poke around with the fey, see if they’ve heard or seen anything,” Chanyeol said, leaning on the doorframe.

“Are all of us supposed to go?” Baekhyun asked.

“Nah, he said four of us will do. And since we’ve got not one but two pairs of parabatai…” Chanyeol trailed off. Kyungsoo made a face at him from the ground.

“What a convenient way to slack off from your duties,” Kyungsoo said, snide.

“I’m just saying. It’s better if everyone can work together. United we stand, and all that jazz,” Chanyeol said. “Oh, but I’m on cleaning duty with Jongin, so maybe no Team Parabatai after all,” he added with much less chirpiness.

“Well, I don’t wanna go. I think I pulled a muscle or something while training just now, or maybe it’s my muscles growing…” Baekhyun perked up.

“I think Jinah could be up for it. I’ll ask. Kyungsoo, d’you mind, or…?”

“Fine,” Kyungsoo muttered. If it was just Suho, Sehun and Jinah, Kyungsoo didn’t mind. He wasn’t up for anything Jongin right now; he’d take any distraction.

-

The angel Raziel must’ve had some beef with Kyungsoo in his past life. Perhaps he’d been a terrible person, like a member of the Circle who’d died and was now being punished by going on an investigation with Suho, Jinah, _and Jongin_.

He had his hopes at first, that maybe Jongin just _happened_ to be in full Shadowhunter gear in the main hall, alongside Suho and Jinah. They were keeping track of how many seraph blades, daggers and arrows they had between them. Jongin himself had somewhere close to ten knives and daggers, and that was discounting the two seraph blades on his back.

Kyungsoo pointedly looked at Suho to inform him of how many blades he had on him. “I have three knives, a sword and twenty-five arrows. Should I get more?” he asked.

Suho added that to his mental list, counting with his fingers. “No need. With our total, I’d say we’d be good if there’s a siege of vampires lying in wait when night comes. You guys brought two bottles of holy water each right?” Suho asked. Kyungsoo patted the holster on his belt, the bottles tucked beside his knives.

“Good,” Suho said, “now let’s go.”

To Kyungsoo’s horror, Jongin was the first to follow him to the large doors of the Institute. Jinah lingered behind to tie her long, brown hair up into a bun, slim electrum daggers stuck through it in case of an emergency. She noticed the stricken look on Kyungsoo’s face and lifted an eyebrow.

“Everything alright? You forget something?” she asked in concern.

“No, no, I just… I thought Sehun was coming along?” Kyungsoo tried to keep his tone casual.

“Oh, I think Jongin said he switched with Sehun because he wants to ‘lead a life of battle, in the battle of life’ or something. You know how he gets if there’s bound to be a fight somewhere,” Jinah grinned.

“Weird but not surprising, I guess,” Kyungsoo remarked. All of them knew Jongin could never back away from a fight, no matter big or small. Throw in suspicious deaths published in mundane papers, Downworlders possibly committing heinous crimes… They’d need a warlock to spell him quiet. Kyungsoo should’ve seen it coming.

They both joined Suho and Jongin outside the Institute. The building was tucked away in a valley between hills, close to a nearby Christian cemetery. It was warded and heavily glamoured much like Idris, where a mundane might approach the perimeter without knowing and be transported to the back of the Institute. Such steps were necessary as Seoul was an ever-developing country, though they were lucky because so far, the cemetery kept most people from wandering through the hills.

Right now, Kyungsoo wouldn’t mind being buried in the cemetery because he didn’t know what he could or could not say to Jongin.

He hadn’t done much apart from nodding at Kyungsoo in the hallway just now, which Kyungsoo pretended not to notice. Jongin didn’t seem to mind but… maybe Kyungsoo had given his own unease away. How was he supposed to feel again?

 “Okay, the Uber ride should be arriving soon. Have you guys glamoured yourselves?” Suho said brightly, looking up from his phone.

“Shotgun,” Jongin and Kyungsoo said at the same time, ignoring Suho. Kyungsoo glared instinctively at first, to which Jongin smiled crookedly. It took a moment for Kyungsoo to remember that he was supposed to be confused, possibly angered. Not giggly with Jongin.

“ _Hyung_ can take the shotgun,” Jongin said, in a tone of mock deference.

“It’s rude to talk about age,” Kyungsoo practically growled. Jinah, who was older than Jongin too, flicked him once on the forehead. Jongin howled dramatically in response, clutching his forehead as if someone had just stoned him. If he wasn’t a Shadowhunter, then the mundane acting world was where Jongin belonged.

“ _Ow_ ,” Jongin moaned loudly.

“Guys, be a little more dignified, will you?” Suho sighed, “we’re on a mission here.”

“What would be really dignifying is if we had our own mode of transport,” Jongin muttered. He wasn’t one for glamours even though he understood the necessity of them. Kyungsoo always thought it had something to do with Jongin not being seen, when everything about him deserved to be admired.

Suho looked apologetic. “Look, none of us have the kind of salary to afford a car—”

“Is that the one?” Kyungsoo squinted at a large van turning up the road. It was a silver Nissan, and the driver pulled up to their side of the road to roll down the window.

“You guys requested an Uber ride?” he asked, looking from Suho to Kyungsoo.

“Yes,” Suho said a little too brightly, “yes, we did.”

They ended up squeezing into the back seats, none of them willing to take shotgun in fear of the mundane driver accidentally brushing up against their weapons. He was a talker anyway, despite their attempts to keep their responses short and curt. Kyungsoo would never give up a chance to cut off a conversation over space for himself in the front seat.

“Y’all from around here?” the driver peeked at the rearview mirror.

“No,” Jongin said tersely, arms folded. He was wedged between Suho and Jinah, which didn’t seem to be too pleasant as Jinah’s hair kept bobbing into his face whenever the car went over a particularly hard bump. She was leaning forward to make space for the rest of them but it didn’t help much. Kyungsoo’s only consolation was Jongin’s nose scrunching up whenever he got a good whiff of Jinah’s coconut scented hair.

“You need to stop scenting yourself up like you’re about to go on a date,” he muttered darkly at Jinah.

“Just because I can’t look fabulous all the time doesn’t mean I can’t smell fabulous,” Jinah said, matter-of-fact.

The driver perked up at that. “You guys need some air freshener? Sorry, I smoke sometimes with the windows open—” At a speed that was not expected of a mundane, the driver suddenly had a can in his hands and sprayed lavender air freshener in the back, most of it wafting over Jinah and Jongin.

All hell broke loose; Jongin yelled (smelling like lavender wasn’t good for his badass image anyway), Suho was elbowed in the throat, Jinah got some of the spray in her eye… Long story short, the driver ended up dropping them off a few blocks away from Olympic Park, driving off furiously.

Suho drew an iratze on Jinah’s neck for her injured eye while they walked the rest of the way, with Jongin cursing the mundane driver the entire time.

“That ass,” he kept saying, “he shouldn’t be commandeering a vehicle if he’s going to be so reckless.” Jinah was in pretty bad shape, but there was nothing much they could do besides wait for the iratze to work its magic. By the time they reached the grassy lawns of Olympic Park, Jinah could at least blink without her eye hurting.

“Right, so where were the bodies found?” Jongin asked Suho, posture settling into soldier mode as he assessed the park.

It was one of his many qualities Kyungsoo admired, Jongin’s ability to put aside all emotion to focus on the task at hand. There was something about the way he was so calm like watching a rock sink to the bottom of a pond, leaving nothing more than a ripple across the water surface. Kyungsoo was officially besotted.

There was not much out of place at the park as Kyungsoo looked around as Suho spoke to them. The usual park goers were scattered everywhere, some lying down on the grass, some taking a stroll in the sun. Bushes and trees pocked the landscape, and the sun seemed especially cheerful today. The crime scene, wherever it was, must’ve been cleared off by the mundane police already.  

“…should be somewhere over there to the east, where the trees are a little thicker. I expect the bodies must be gone by now, but I’m sure there’s some evidence left behind,” Suho was saying.

“I expect there will be. Do you know any of the fey here?” Jongin asked Suho, but glanced at Kyungsoo. Thinking the question was directed to him as well, Kyungsoo shook his head.

“No. I’m sure we’ll find a pixie or one the Seelie Queen’s knights, though,” Kyungsoo said. An impatient look crossed Jongin’s face, though Kyungsoo didn’t understand why. Wasn’t like he stopped by Olympic Park every other weekend to dance with the faeries.

 _Infuriating_ , Kyungsoo thought irritably. Just because he wasn’t anything like Sehun…

“You’re right, Kyungsoo. Better to run into them than seek out one of the fey anyway,” Jinah said. There would be some price to pay if they requested an audience with any member of the fey, and none of them wanted to try their luck with that. They continued to trudge through the park, heading towards the shade of a cluster of trees at the edge of the area. Jongin brought his Sensor out, scanning for demonic activity just in case.

Kyungsoo had heard from Baekhyun that these parts of the park were frequented by couples who wanted some ‘alone time’. It made him blush violently, thinking back about the training room and he tried to look like he was checking the ground attentively for any signs.

“There’s a broken branch here,” Jinah called, after they wandered deeper into the trees. She pointed at a small branch on the ground, and not far from it was a trail of broken branches and twigs. Dried leaves were crushed here and there, blazing a clear path for those who knew where to look.

“Follow it,” Jongin said tersely, turning off his Sensor.

They did, and soon they came upon a spot where no trees grew. It wasn’t very big, perhaps just two by three meter area. However, the blood stains left on the earth _was_ big, indicating something had definitely happened right at that spot.

Red was soaked into the brown soil, staining the few tufts of grass a dark brown. The surrounding trees, upon closer inspection, had dried blood spatters as well. The smell of coppery blood mixed with the moist soil was thick in the air.

“Well, we found the scene of the crime for sure,” Jongin stated, avoiding stepping on the bloodstain with his boots.

“But was it committed by vampires? There’s a whole lot of blood but not a lot to go by,” Kyungsoo said. A puddle of blood this big could also be caused by a knife to the throat. Nothing solid pointed to the Children of the Night just yet.

“Well, victims were unrelated to one another according to the newspapers. No distinction between them, whether gender, age or occupation…” Suho trailed off.

“Not even blood type?” Kyungsoo voiced up. Thanks to what he thought was unnecessary intel from Baekhyun and Sehun, apparently some Downworlder parties stocked up only on certain blood types for their vampire guests. If the victims had the same blood type then it was possible to call for a meeting with the head of the biggest vampire clan in Seoul…

“Newspapers didn’t say,” Suho replied. Kyungsoo deflated a little. That was one lead down for now. As they mulled over the scene in silence, trying to look for anything besides blood, a crunch of broken branches suddenly alerted them.

Kyungsoo reached for his seraph blade the same time everyone else did, hand tensed on the hilt. There was nothing to see among the greenery at first, just trees and grass in every direction.

Then something moved, something that didn’t match the greenery and in a flash, Jongin had stepped forward and caught something.

His seraph blade flared up brightly, sunlight glinting off its hilt. Whatever he’d caught struggled until Jongin tugged it forward. It was a faerie, her skin camouflaged green to match her surroundings. She had twigs in her hair, vines roped around one leg. Her eyes, unnervingly white, seemed blind even though she hissed and bared her sharp teeth at them.

“Let her go, Jongin,” Suho said. He held onto her for a moment longer, before he released her. He pointed the seraph blade away from her, but the faerie still didn’t seem pleased.

“Spying on us?” Jongin asked casually. Kyungsoo was amazed he’d managed to spot her out from the trees. Then again, he was Jongin.

“The fey have no need for spying. We know all that happens on our territory,” the faerie hissed. Kyungsoo was nonetheless intrigued; if she was so angry about being caught, why hadn’t she run off or attacked them yet?

“If that’s true, then you know what happened here,” Jinah spoke, tucking her blade away. She stood from where she’d been kneeling by a tree to examine the blood spatters on the dry bark.

The faerie’s expression changed from angry to sly. “I do, I do,” she hummed, gripping a nearby tree with a hand. Green buds began to sprout from her four-fingered hands. Jongin shared a look with Kyungsoo. Here was the tricky part about dealing with faeries; trying to get information from a faerie.

“There’s been speculation that vampires did this. Is it true?” Jinah inquired, almost nonchalantly.

“Valuable information cannot be handed over for nothing. There must be equal payment,” the faerie said. Flowers were growing from her hands now at an alarming rate, like watching a fast motion video of a flower blooming. Kyungsoo’s mood soured. This, he expected.

“What do you want then?” Jongin asked, bored.

“The Queen requests two Nephilim guests to her summer party, a week now. All creatures alike are welcome. If you accept her invitation, I will divulge about what happened here last night.”

Even Jinah was surprised at that. Suho frowned; not a good sign. Kyungsoo couldn’t tell where this was going.

“It’s a ruse, a trick. The Seelie Queen wishes to make a fool out of us Nephilim,” Jongin replied venomously. The faerie bared her sharp little teeth at him again, though Jongin was unfazed.

“The Queen is generous enough to extend invitations to those who are not of the Fair Folk, and yet you question it? Unwise, Shadowhunter. And you will miss an opportune moment to learn about what has happened here…” She began to back into the trees, but Jinah held up a hand.

“Wait! Okay, two of us will go. You might be familiar with Sehun and Baekhyun,” Jinah said. Kyungsoo couldn’t help a sigh of relief. He certainly wasn’t up for a faerie party, not today and not two weeks from now either.

“Can we accept the invitations on behalf of them?” Jinah pleaded.

“The invitations are open to any Shadowhunters,” the faerie smiled, “do you accept?”

“…I guess so,” Jinah nodded uncertainly, looking to Suho for support. He nodded once. Jongin’s face was dark. None of them liked accepting a bargain from a faerie, but if she could tell them anything at all about the attacks here, then they’d save a whole lot of time going back and forth.

“These invitations will be accompanied by a token, yes?” Suho asked. The faerie slid her hand off the tree. “Yes, yes, of course…” She held out her hand, now covered in pink, large flowers to Jinah.

“Pluck two flowers,” Suho told her, “and whoever attends the party has to hold on to it for the entire night.”

“Or else what?” Kyungsoo asked. The expression on Suho’s face was grim. “Or else, they’ll be bound to the Seelie Queen’s courts. She’ll have every right to keep them there for however she desires.”

“Oh.” Kyungsoo swallowed thickly. That wasn’t a fate he would wish on anyone. Jongin noticed the green look on his face and subtly stepped over. He still held his seraph blade in his hand, unwilling to let down his guard around the faerie though she didn’t seem to mean any real harm.

After Jinah had cupped two flowers in her hands, Kyungsoo cleared his throat to speak.

“So about what happened here?” he asked.

The faerie turned her eyes to him. Jongin tried to block her, and Kyungsoo elbowed him aside. He was older than Jongin; he could take care of himself.

“It is true. The Night Children came, when not a star hung in the sky. They were callous heathens, disturbing our sleep. Then the screams came one by one, and blood was spilled unto the grounds of the earth…”

“You mean there was shouting and no one came to help?” Jongin demanded. Injustice made him prickle, the righteous, hot bastard that he was. Kyungsoo shouldn’t have found it hot in this terrible situation (but he did).

“Help did arrive. The vampires paid no heed, and dragged off both victim and help into the arms of death,” the faerie said.

Something clicked in Kyungsoo’s head. “I think what she means is that help did arrive for the first victim,” Kyungsoo said slowly, “but the vampires also attacked them, and that’s why there were several bodies. They could’ve been joggers or passersby, which was why they had nothing in common.” The faerie didn’t look too happy to know that someone had solved her riddles so quickly.

“Did you get any names, face of the vampires?” Jinah asked, spurred on by excitement. At that, the faerie’s face closed up, as if she’s struck a nerve.

“The deal was to tell you what happened, not who.”

Jongin growled angrily, making a beeline for the faerie. Kyungsoo grabbed at his arm, tugging him back roughly. “Stop, Jongin, don’t make a scene. You’ll just make this more difficult,” he whispered.

“You should listen to your comrade,” the faerie purred.

Jongin muttered inaudibly under his breath, but stilled under Kyungsoo’s grip. Kyungsoo thanked the Angel he’d caught Jongin on time, otherwise he might’ve killed the faerie and _that_ would’ve been difficult, not to mention illegal by the Law.

“The Queen’s summer party, a week from now,” the faerie said, taking her leave, “it will be a night the guests will not forget.”

Her wicked smile lingered in Kyungsoo’s vision even after she took off into the trees, blending with the greenery easily. Soon, she was gone, leaving the four of them to wonder what they’d gotten themselves into.

-

“How long do we have to wait out here?” Jinah moaned, holding two branches in her hands. “It’s been _hours_ since the sun went down.”

“Just a little longer,” Suho insisted for the hundredth time, shushing her. Except he didn’t sound so convincing as the first ninety-nine times he said that, and ‘a little longer’ was more like three hours than thirty minutes. They were hiding out in some bushes to see if the vampires would attack again tonight, but no one could convince Suho that murders usually only happened _after_ midnight and onwards.

They’d staked out in the park at 4, and it was only ten minutes past ten right now. Kyungsoo was bone tired of waiting. The others were starting to get weary too. Kyungsoo was hungry, he smelled like sweat and grass from having sat in a bush for so long and he was about to fuck Suho up if he had to do this any longer.

“Can one of us please buy dinner?” Kyungsoo begged, “not all four of us needs to have to be here if there really is a vampire attack after all—”

“I agree,” Jongin said solemnly, barely visible from the bush on Kyungsoo’s left. He stood up, brushing off bits of park off himself. Suho hissed at him to sit his perky ass down, but Jongin wasn’t having any of it.

“No, Suho, because first of all, the vampires probably just woke up. Second of all, we need to eat and if you don’t want to eat, the rest of us will. Kyungsoo and I will get some food now, and if you do run into the vamps we’re looking for, well, ave atque vale.”

“I’m going with you?” Kyungsoo asked incredulously, not because he was surprised that Jongin chose him but because he was going to do _something_ productive after six straight hours of doing nothing. He shot out of the bushes like a jack-in-the-box, dusting himself as he staggered out into the open air. Kyungsoo never thought he’d be this grateful to be able stretch his limbs out and move around like a normal person.

“We’ll be back in, say twenty minutes?” Jongin said, stretching his arms over his head.

Kyungsoo could almost swear Jongin was doing it entirely for his benefit, showing off the indents of his hips and his slim stomach. Didn’t help that he was sweaty all over and looked like he just took a shower—

“Kyungsoo, why are you staring me like that?” Jongin asked nonchalantly, already turning to walk away. _Fuck_ , Kyungsoo thought, blinking like a blind bat. He almost got caught there. But never mind, it was dark, he could just pretend he had night blindness or something (unlikely among Shadowhunters but maybe Jongin didn’t know that).

“Come back when you learn some manners,” Suho snarled from the bushes. Jinah retorted something involving Kyungsoo and Jongin and asphyxiation. Kyungsoo gave him a thumbs up and jogged after Jongin.

“What do you wanna get?” Jongin asked. Kyungsoo was secretly pleased he was acting like normal. It seemed like the incident in the training room was in the back of his mind, or not even on his mind at all. He was swinging his arms back and forth, mussing up Kyungsoo’s hair for fun…

Trust Kyungsoo to overthink and stress over nothing. He was just thankful Jongin didn’t dwell upon things very often.

“I don’t know. Oden?” Kyungsoo suggested. He wasn’t familiar with the area around Olympic Park, though Jongin would know better since sometimes he did patrols (to look for Downworlder trouble).  

“There’s a churro place I know, but it’s gonna be a bit of a walk. I could take you there,” Jongin said, not quite meeting his gaze.

“Why churros?” Kyungsoo asked, puzzled.

“’Cause they’re your favourite. Don’t think I don’t see the crumbs on your mouth every time we’re in Dongdaemun Night Market,” Jongin said accusingly with a smile. Kyungsoo was thankful for the cover of the dark, casting shadows over his red cheeks. Jongin was, as usual, perceptive of things.

“Cinnamon churros are nice,” was all Kyungsoo could muster.

“I didn’t say they weren’t. C’mon, we gotta be quick,” Jongin said, and sped up his pace. Kyungsoo tried his best to keep up, but it was hard because Jongin’s legs were so long. He couldn’t say he minded lingering behind though, to watch his ass move in those tight Shadowhunter pants.

“Let’s get ramen cups for Suho and Jinah, and maybe some rice cakes at the convenience mart. Do you know the kind they like?” Jongin mulled thoughtlessly, when they began to approach a street entirely lit by colorful, neon lights. Some were restaurants, karaoke places, clubs and the like. Mundanes were out and about everywhere, paying no heed to the two of them. On a street like this, they were just two people in a crowd.

“I think I do,” Kyungsoo replied, not really listening anymore.

Pink, blue, purple, green lights caressed Jongin’s skin, and Kyungsoo couldn’t help but stare. It was so easy for him to look good, so effortless to love Jongin. In a different life, in a different time, Kyungsoo liked to think he would’ve been braver.

“Is this mart okay?” Jongin gestured to his right. Kyungsoo looked across the street.

“Sure,” Kyungsoo shrugged. They crossed the street to get to the cramped little store, a little chilly from the air conditioning. The woman at the counter looked like a mundane at first; when Kyungsoo looked closely, he realized she was an ifrit, heavily glamoured to disguise her lemon yellow skin and platinum blonde hair.

She nodded at them when she noticed Kyungsoo, acknowledging him as a Shadowhunter. Kyungsoo nodded back, and turned his attention back to Jongin, who found the noodles section and randomly grabbed at a cup.

“Does Suho like Neoguri? Jin Ramyeon? Shin Ramyeon?” Jongin asked, tossing the cup from hand to hand. He was always in motion, even when he was off duty like this. On a normal day, Kyungsoo would’ve appreciated this part of Jongin as it meant that he was always on high alert, ready in case of an attack. In a convenience store like this, it made for very difficult decision making.

“U-um, Shin Ramyeon would be good for Suho. Jinah likes the seafood one, try to look for it while I get drinks,” Kyungsoo told him.

He went off to get some iced coffee and sodas, grateful for the cool air from the fridge. If vampires were a no show tonight, maybe he could have a relaxing hot shower back at the Institute later instead of limping and wincing his way through his shower like most days. As Kyungsoo tried to pick out the drinks the others would appreciate, he could see Jongin checking the ramen brands intently in the reflection of the fridge’s glass door.

He looked like a kid trying his very best to pick between his favorite toys. Only Jongin could be such a walking contradiction, adorable but ready to kill someone at the same time. Kyungsoo smiled to himself like a sap, finally opening the fridge to get the canned drinks.

When he backtracked his steps to Jongin, he was still debating with himself between three ramen bowls and cups. “This one is for Suho, but these two are seafood… So which is Jinah’s favorite?” he asked.

“You know this isn’t a picnic and they’d be fine with whatever, right?” Kyungsoo teased.

“Well yeah, but if this was our last meal together, I’d like to know I put in a little effort into choosing out their favorite food,” Jongin said defensively. Kyungsoo laughed, rolling his eyes. “Take this one,” he pointed at one of the ramen bowls, “Jinah always gets this one.”

With all their items, Jongin and Kyungsoo went to the counter. It was only when they’d laid everything out on the counter that Kyungsoo realized he hadn’t brought his wallet. He patted his pockets, finding them empty (except for a witchlight stone and brass knuckles). Kyungsoo panicked for all of three seconds before Jongin presented some cash to the counter with a flourish.

“I’m paying,” Jongin said softly to him, winking at the ifrit.

“Thank God,” Kyungsoo replied, bagging everything up. He walked out first, holding the plastic bag laden full of their necessities for the night.

Jongin came out not long after, tucking change into his pocket. “So, churros next?” he grinned.

“Seems like it,” Kyungsoo said, somewhat reluctant and shy. He was happy that Jongin had taken note of his secret affinity for churros, even if he couldn’t guess what kind of instant noodles Suho and Jinah liked. It made him feel just a tiny bit special.

Jongin brought him to the churros stand where the guy was dipping the churros in hot oil, while a woman coated it with flavor, be it sugar, salt or cinnamon powder. Kyungsoo ordered two cinnamon churros and waited eagerly in line. Jongin noticed the smile on his face and laughed.

“You’re a Shadowhunter, you’re supposed to maintain your physique, not stuff yourself with instant noodles and churros,” Jongin poked at the plastic bag.

“Shut up, Jingle, and have some of your gross rice drink,” Kyungsoo dug into the bag and handed the can to him. Jongin was the only one at the Seoul Institute who liked sweet rice drinks which everyone else found disgusting. Kyungsoo was of the opinion that rice needed to stay on a plate and not in a can— clearly, Jongin did not agree.  

“Tetchy now, aren’t we?” Jongin said, shaking the can before popping it open. Kyungsoo watched him gulp it down, his eyes lingering to Jongin’s bobbing Adam’s apple as he swallowed.

“It’s like you’re drinking rice water, you know, like when you wash rice in the sink before you cook it. It’s gross,” Kyungsoo remarked.

“It’s better than you think,” Jongin replied coolly, wiping at his mouth. The drink left a wet sheen over his lips; Kyungsoo had to pretend he was suddenly fascinated with the way churros were made.

“I don’t expect much from you as the guy who thought uncooked ramen noodles would be great with ketchup,” Kyungsoo retorted. Not looking directly at Jongin made him brave. Jongin made a rude gesture with his middle finger.

“That has nothing to do with sikhye,” Jongin snorted, referring to the rice drink.

“Yes, it does. Shows you have terrible taste,” Kyungsoo said. The lady at the churros stand was done with Kyungsoo’s order now, and held up two, lightly dusted cinnamon churros for him.

Kyungsoo took them and motioned at Jongin to pay up. While he forked up the money, Kyungsoo sniffed at the churros, the smell of deep fried dough settling his soul like nothing else could. Jongin guided him back to the sidewalk with a hand on Kyungsoo’s shoulder once he paid, taking one churro for himself.

Kyungsoo bit into the churro, savouring the buttery, cinnamon taste of it. It reminded him of fried bread in a way, except this had way more crunch and was way more sinful than plain ol’ bread. And if he allowed himself a moment of melodrama, it also reminded him of Christmas somehow. Of wintery gray afternoons spent with Jongin in the kitchen, flicking flour into his hair and face while Suho tried to stop Sehun and Chanyeol from starting a food fight. Jongin would toss handfuls of flour in return, and the smell of bread baking in the kitchen would fill the air.  

Glancing at the man, Kyungsoo could tell Jongin was not as enthusiastic about his churro, though that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to eat it.

He finished his churro faster than Kyungsoo did, in fact, washing it all down with the last of his drink. Kyungsoo gave him a hard look. “You can’t just gobble the churro up like that. You need to respect it and taste it before you swallow it all down,” Kyungsoo told him. He was only halfway done with his churro.

“I have bad taste, remember?” Jongin grinned. Kyungsoo pretended to snort at that, but they both knew that was his way of laughing at Jongin’s terrible, terrible jokes.  

“Let’s go back. Suho and Jinah will be wondering where we’re off to,” Jongin said, placing his arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulders. He took the bag silently from Kyungsoo, allowing him to eat his churro in peace. God, it was good. He knew it wasn’t the healthiest option out there, but still.  

“You really like ‘em, don’t you?” Jongin asked.

It was a little dark now that the bright lights were on their back and if Kyungsoo didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought Jongin sounded like he was talking to his own kid or something; fondly, with a quiet pride.

“Haven’t had them in months,” Kyungsoo replied, licking his lips clean of the cinnamon and sugar.

“Glad I caught your cravings just on time then,” Jongin said. Kyungsoo nudged him gratefully, catching the glint of Jongin’s teeth in the semi-darkness.

As they walked back to the park, Jongin left his arm around Kyungsoo’s shoulder, and— well, Kyungsoo didn’t know what to think. If he’d seen two people walking around like this, he would’ve assumed they were a couple.

 _But we’re Shadowhunters_ , Kyungsoo thought sadly, and there would never be anything between them except platonic friendship.

Times like these, Kyungsoo wondered what was wrong with him. Why his heart always ached when he saw Jongin flirting with girls or whenever Sehun cuddled up to Jongin after an exhausting night. The need to look away if Jongin left the bathroom with only a towel around his waist. If he could just stop being greedy, he’d save himself a whole lot of heartache.

“You know, speaking about taste back there,” Jongin said, breaking into Kyungsoo’s thoughts.

“Yeah?” Kyungsoo answered, looking down at his hands. He’d finished his churro already, and had been squeezing the oily wrapper in his hand tightly for the last few minutes. They were almost at the park now.

“I wanted to tell you something,” Jongin said haltingly, as if words had suddenly failed him.

“Hm? Is it a bad joke? Because I can only tolerate them for so long, Jingle—”

A scream pierced through the night. Kyungsoo and Jongin halted, hands on their weapons as they listened. It’d been a good three years since Kyungsoo began his life as an official Shadowhunter, but fear never really went away. His blood curdled in his veins, and his heart leapt into his throat.

It went on for a good number of seconds before choking off abruptly. The scream had been loud, and if Kyungsoo heard right, it came from the trees.

They shared a look, and began running headlong into the park.

Jongin was faster and reached the trees first, dumping the plastic bag onto the grass unceremoniously. Kyungsoo held up his witchlight stone to illuminate the way for the both of them, trying not to trip on any roots or branches. Jongin was graceful as ever, his feet seeming to miss everything that could trip him. Kyungsoo brought up the rear; there was a possibility vampires could come at them from behind.

They came upon the site just in time to see Jinah dragging away two bodies, blood splattered all over the front of her gear and face.

Kyungsoo’s witchlight cast strange, moving shadows as Suho tried to battle four vampires at once. Kyungsoo couldn’t even tell if they were male or female; mostly, he saw flashes of fangs, blood and claws as they tried to one up Suho.

Jongin being Jongin jumped into the fight at once with a growl, slashing at them with his blade and stake. One of them howled as his arm was severed, dropping to roll onto the ground lifelessly.

Kyungsoo blinked rapidly, allowing his Vision rune to kick in. The dark shapes of the woods slowly materialized. As soon as he could see clearly, he rushed over to help Jinah with the bodies first. Jongin was a good fighter; he’d survive a minute or two without Kyungsoo as his backup. “You okay?” he asked, breathing hard. She nodded wordlessly; fortunately, none of the blood seemed to be hers.

“They’re still alive,” Jinah told them, “we need to call an ambulance later.” Kyungsoo nodded.

“Stay with them. Keep them alive. I gotta help Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, tossing his witchlight to Jinah to use his two seraph blades. They glowed in the dark, and the vampires hissed instinctually, moving from him. But the three of them weren’t safe just yet, Kyungsoo knew. He feinted at one threateningly.

“We’re Shadowhunters,” Suho tried to reason with them, “the more you resist, the harder it will be for you to explain yourself—”

A female vampire jumped at him midsentence; a frown marred Jongin’s face before he slid forward and slashed at her middle. She fell back heavily on her back, clutching at her stomach. Bright red spilled onto the ground.

“There’s… something wrong,” Jongin said, even as he defended Suho when another tried to get him into a chokehold. Jongin gave him a vicious kick to his side and held the blade to his throat when the vampire fell.

Kyungsoo had no time to dwell upon what he’d just said, holding back the two last vampires from going after Jinah. He stabbed on between the shoulder blades, a move that would’ve killed a mortal. He merely angered the vampire, who doubled back on him to grab blindly with his claws. Kyungsoo moved out of the way, ducking when the other vampire tried to jump onto his back. Instead, they both collided into one another.

“Huh,” Kyungsoo huffed. They got back up, bleeding but still inhumanely strong. But this time Kyungsoo noticed something. It was like holding off a newly Turned vampire or werewolf; they seemed consumed by an inner rage as Kyungsoo fended them off, like an uncontrollable hunger that emanated from them in waves. Their attacks were direct, predictable which was unlike the vampires Kyungsoo were used to fighting.

 One tried to go for his throat and he elbowed him aside easily. Almost too easily. The vampire’s claws dug into the skin of his arm, but he was relatively unharmed.

“Kill them,” Jongin barked, “there’s no reasoning with them, it’s like something’s not right—”

A shrill howl on Kyungsoo’s right caught his attention. It was one of the two vampires. Suho had staked him from the back, and he tossed the stake to Kyungsoo when the vampire collapsed at his feet.

The vampire facing Kyungsoo didn’t even seem to notice the weapon in his hand when he leapt forward again, and it wasn’t until the wooden stake sank into his neck that a flicker of sanity came back into his eyes. True death had finally come for him.  

Dead weight slumped onto Kyungsoo. He tossed the corpse aside in disgust. Looking around, they were all dead now, except for the one injured on the ground.

Jongin was standing over her, his blade balanced over her unbeating heart. He looked like an avenging angel, covered in cuts and blood. She was looking up at him blankly, hands outreached like a zombie. Suho frowned, catching Kyungsoo’s eye.

“They’re not… usually like this. Correct me if I’m wrong,” Kyungsoo said uncertainly.

“No indeed. They’re not fledglings too. Newly Turned vampires would’ve turned on each other, not tolerate one another like this,” Suho replied. Jongin pressed the tip of his bloody blade into her throat, piercing a small trickle of blood.

“What do I do with her?” he asked.

Suho shook his head, turning away. “Don’t kill her. We could bring her to the sanctuary…”

“How? The sun is coming up in a few hours, and we can’t walk all the way back to the Institute with her,” Jongin said crossly. Suho sighed.

“What a waste of life,” he said mournfully, “a terrible waste.”

Jongin sank the blade in between her ribs, the life choking out of her in ebbs. More red spilled onto the ground, the stink of it rising to Kyungsoo’s nostrils. This was the part about being a Shadowhunter that Kyungsoo hated. Death wasn’t just something that happened to a person; it clung to the living like an aura, its presence permeating the senses.

“That’s four of ‘em,” Jongin said, tugging his blade out of the vampire.

“What about the humans? Are they alive?” Suho asked, bringing out his witchlight stone as well.

“Yeah, they are, but barely. We need to get them someplace else so I can call an ambulance,” Jinah said grimly. Suho nodded.

“Right. Let’s put aside our weapons and get working. Leave the bodies, they’ll be ashes come dawn. We can speak to the local head of the vampire clan here later,” Suho said, wiping off his stake on his gear and sticking it back into his weapons belt. The rest did the same, wiping off bloodstains and ichor wherever they could. Kyungsoo meanwhile, was engrossed with drawing an iratze on his injured arm that he almost jumped when Jongin approached him.

“Hey,” Jongin said, hands up, “sorry to interrupt. Are you okay?” He eyed Kyungsoo’s wound.

“I’m okay. I’m just not left handed, so my iratze is coming out a little messy,” Kyungsoo confessed, holding his stele awkwardly. Jongin took his stele, and held out a hand for Kyungsoo’s injured arm. Jongin gripped his wrist gently, and drew the iratze carefully. The rune stung, but the pain faded as the wound began to knit itself.

“There. Better now,” Jongin returned Kyungsoo his stele with a small smile.

“You? You’re fine?” Kyungsoo asked back.

“Yeah, don’t worry about me,” Jongin laughed. _Oh, Jingle,_ Kyungsoo thought, _there’s always you to worry about._

 


	2. it hurts to love you, but i still love you (it's just the way i feel)

“Why do mundanes wander around at night? Don’t they know what’s good for them?” Kyungsoo grunted as he carried a rather portly man between himself and Jongin.

The man had been one of the victims from earlier, and the other victim had been a young woman in her twenties. Kyungsoo didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but he thought they might’ve been at the park for a bit of fornicating before they were rudely interrupted by the vampires.

“ _We_ were out at night. Clearly, we don’t know what’s good for us either,” Jongin grunted in reply. They finally reached a spot near the jogger’s path running around the park, and dumped the man without preamble to the ground.

He didn’t respond, though Kyungsoo didn’t expect him to. He had lost a lot of blood, and Jinah had only just managed to staunch the blood flow from his neck just now.

Jinah and Suho were right behind them, carrying the second victim over their shoulders. Her short dress hiked up her ankles, further concreting Kyungsoo’s theory of the two victims out in the park for a bit of dirty fun. They placed her down and straightened, sweat dotting their foreheads.

Kyungsoo wished he was the kind of guy who owned a handkerchief; one would’ve been useful right now.

“I’m gonna call the ambulance now. Why don’t you guys clear up the scene back there or something, and I’ll meet you once the victims are taken away?” Jinah said, taking out her phone from her pocket. The sun was going to come up soon, but they needed to make sure no stray mundanes stumbled upon the bodies.

So, the three of them headed back to where they came from. Kyungsoo thought the park was senselessly huge now that he was exhausted from exerting himself the whole night. They’d chosen a spot far away from the trees deliberately, so they would have more time to deal with the vampire corpses even after the mundanes were dealt with properly. But it still meant a whole lot of walking, a good ten minutes of it just to be careful. 

He held his back straight nonetheless but the minute he reached the Institute, Kyungsoo was going to conk out for the rest of the day.

 “The sun comes up at nearly six. It’s just past five now. I think we all deserve a break,” Jongin said, sweat soaking his gear. Bits of his fringe stuck to his forehead, and Kyungsoo could only imagine how he must’ve looked like. Probably red in the face from exertion.

Suho glared at them, even though dark circles surrounded his thoughtful brown eyes. “You both were gone for a good two hours. What happened?” he demanded.

“We got held up,” Jongin said before Kyungsoo could apologize, “sorta lost our way back.” Kyungsoo thought it was strange that Jongin was lying, but he was too tired to argue so he just nodded and muttered an apology to Suho.

“Won’t happen again,” he promised. Suho dropped it, but out of exhaustion or because he just didn’t want to know, Kyungsoo couldn’t say for sure.

When they reached the trees, Kyungsoo found the plastic bag of food and drinks they’d bought earlier. He cracked open a can of soda, swallowing half of its contents. He passed it around for everyone to take a sip.

“Did you guys get anything more than this?” Suho rasped, crushing the can when he finished the drink. Kyungsoo shoved the plastic bag at him, motioning for him to knock himself out.

“I’m gonna go drag the vampires out. See if there are any clues,” Kyungsoo said, his guilty conscience giving him energy. _I wasn’t supposed to get caught up anyway,_ Kyungsoo thought. He drew some additional runes on his arms hastily for wakefulness with his stele. After the vampires were settled, they could go home.

Kyungsoo was tucking his stele away when he reached the spot. They were all unmoving, very much dead, but something didn’t click when he stared at the gory scene with fresh eyes. He was thankful for the morning light that showed him whatever he’d missed in the night, and he distinctively remembered four bodies, not three.

 _One, two, three_ , he counted with a finger.

Where was the fourth? It must’ve been a vampire he had not killed or seen killed, because the ones he’d recognized were still there. Kyungsoo frowned and counted again.

Jongin had said, “That’s four of ‘em.” And though he was bad at remembering faces sometimes, he could still count.

He ventured a little deeper into the woods, thinking maybe one of the vampires recovered enough from his wounds to crawl away. Kyungsoo kept his eyes peeled for a vampire dragging a trail of fresh blood into some dark corner. But there was nothing to see in all directions, just trees and trees.

The puddles of blood on the ground were unmistakable; there was no way this vampire could’ve gone very far if it was alive but injured, Kyungsoo reasoned.

The trees up ahead too had straggly branches; the sun could not be held back for long. Where could the fourth vampire have gone to?

“Kyungsoo!” a shout made him turn around.

It was Jongin, waving at him from where the three bodies were. He marched back, a frown etched between his brows. Suho and Jongin were counting the bodies too, shifting them a little further out from the trees.

“Hey, where’s the fourth body?” Suho asked when Kyungsoo was within earshot.

“I could ask you the same thing,” Kyungsoo replied, “when I got here, there were only three left. I went deeper into the trees to find the fourth body, but there’s nothing.”

“It… couldn’t have been alive,” Jongin shook his head, “I made sure I killed them.”

Kyungsoo shrugged. “Well, I’m not hiding a body. Apparently, the vampires weren’t as dead as we thought.” Suho’s expression grew darker with each passing second, absorbing everything.

“This is serious, guys. There’s no way a body could disappear like that,” Suho said, irritation creeping into his voice.

“And yet, I see only three piles of ashes,” Jongin pointed at the bodies, withering away as the sun finally came up, shades of pink and orange making way for blue skies. Kyungsoo swallowed hard, and looked back at Suho. This was far from over.

*

“Wow. That’s freaky,” Baekhyun remarked. Kyungsoo gave him a dry look.

“But you went out with Jongin, right? How was it, did he try to grab your thighs, your butt or anything—”

“No. And you’re not _listening_ ,” Kyungsoo kicked at Baekhyun’s shin. He doubled over, more in shock than in pain as Kyungsoo looked on in satisfaction. It was Baekhyun’s fault for needlessly bringing Jongin into the conversation (and in the kitchen no less; anyone could walk in and eavesdrop.

“I _am_ listening, you heartless man,” Baekhyun moaned, rubbing at his shin, “and all I’m hearing is how deprived you are.”

It was now evening once again at the Institute. Kyungsoo had just woken up after sleeping for twelve hours straight. Getting back was a blur; all he remembered was having to scour the entire park for that fourth corpse. After coming up with nothing, they headed home, with the sun high in the sky. Jinah had to hold him up at one point to walk him back to his room after he fell asleep while walking for a few seconds and bumped into a pillar.

He had strange half memories and dreams in bed after that, discussing with Suho and Jongin in swimming visions on what to do regarding the missing vampire corpse.

Kyungsoo would’ve slept longer, until his parabatai decided to sit on him till he woke up, struggling for breath. Baekhyun demanded him to choose between gossip or death.

“Do you even know what death means?” Kyungsoo nearly shouted.

“Sure I do. Like when you’re sexually deprived, it means you act like someone spit in your tofu,” Baekhyun replied.

He was starting to regret ever telling Baekhyun he liked Jongin. If given the choice to redo it, Kyungsoo never would’ve broke down to Baekhyun that fateful night just last year when he was drunk on red wine and eggnog, crying in his room alone over his unrequited love.

It was New Year’s Eve and Baekhyun had found Kyungsoo sobbing into his sheets over the fact that he’d never be able to share a New Year’s kiss with Jongin, let alone a guy.

He’d whined like a bitch of course, as he was prone to whenever he was drunk (which was why he locked himself into his room in the first place). Baekhyun had been confused at first, unable to see the correlation between kisses and Jongin and his pink, soft lips until he realized that the impossible _was_ possible sometimes.

Kyungsoo spilled his darkest secret he’d kept to himself since he was a pre-pubescent teen to his parabatai as fireworks shot up into the sky.

He made Baekhyun swear on the Angel not to tell anyone _ever_ or else they’d be the first pair of parabatai to kill each other. But that didn’t mean Baekhyun wasn’t going to try and make sexual innuendoes whenever he could, being the annoyingly supportive brother Kyungsoo never had.

“You should really consider dating a male warlock or a faerie soon, Soo. Try it out at that faerie party. Downworlders are fun, and they don’t even care that you’re a guy who likes guys,” Baekhyun said, running his fingers through Kyungsoo’s black hair.

“I don’t want to date a warlock,” Kyungsoo grunted, flicking Baekhyun’s hand away, “I only like one man alone, and I’d rather date no one if not him.”

“You can’t possibly not hear what you’re saying right now. God, you’re so hung up on a guy who doesn’t even know how you feel, Kyungsoo,” Baekhyun groaned, “if you want something to happen, you gotta make a move first.”

“Is this the part where you sing a song like in a Disney cartoon movie?” Kyungsoo asked. “No,” Baekhyun shook his head remorsefully. 

Then he sang, very softly, “how could I make a man out of you?”

Kyungsoo landed a punch on his arm just as Suho peered into the kitchen like he was looking for someone. Baekhyun fell to the ground in a noisy heap while Kyungsoo stood from his stool. Blimey, had he been listening to their conversation?  

“Sorry,” he said, lifting a bemused eyebrow, “am I interrupting something?”

“Yeah, Baekhyun’s imminent death but what’s up?” Kyungsoo asked, folding his arms. Suho didn’t look surprised or distracted… Hopefully, for everyone’s sake, he’d heard nothing of their conversation.

“Well, we’ve managed to contact the local head of the biggest vampire clan here in Seoul. His Projection is in the office right now, and he’d like to speak with you about the bodies,” Suho said, slightly apologetic.

“Me? Why?” Kyungsoo frowned. Suho was the oldest among them, and usually most official Shadowhunter business or investigations went through him if Sehun’s parents weren’t immediately available.

“Well, you were the first to notice there was a body missing. He probably just wants to get the story straight from the horse’s mouth itself. I promise you don’t have to answer anything you don’t want to,” Suho added.

Kyungsoo sighed inwardly. He didn’t have much of a choice here; wasn’t every day a vampire summoned him for something as important as this. And he trusted Suho, if nothing else. He would intervene if things went sideways.

Kyungsoo made for the door, kicking Baekhyun for him to get up. He chortled back to life, and they marched solemnly out of the kitchen and into the office, where official meetings were usually held.

“How’s he like?” Baekhyun asked wonderingly.

“Who? The vampire head?” Suho replied. Baekhyun nodded.

“His name is Jongdae. He’s old, obviously, been around Seoul since before the Korean War. He said he’d been away recently, and left Yifan in his stead,” Suho frowned. Kyungsoo knew that look on his face anywhere.

“And you think Yifan might know a lil’ something?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Well, yeah, I mean vampires know all that happen to their brethren, just like how the faerie knew there’d been murders in the park. If Jongdae had been away, then that must mean Yifan probably knew _something_. Plus, Yifan’s young in comparison to Jongdae. He might’ve kept things quiet if he wanted to keep his place as Jongdae’s right hand man.”

“Wait, Yifan as in Wu Yifan? Blonde, always dressed in white shirts and slacks, about yeah high?” Baekhyun said, his hand going up to hover above his head.

Suho looked surprised but nodded. “Yeah. You know him?” Suho asked.

Baekhyun nodded. “I see him a lot, and there’s a reason why. Listen, if you can’t get anything from Jongdae, I have an idea…”

-

Kyungsoo entered the office feeling nervous. He tried not to let his nerves show though, because it wouldn’t do to let a Downworlder see a _Shadowhunter_ getting all jittery.

And his pride wouldn’t allow it anyway, because Jongin was inside the office as well. Kyungsoo’s eyes had widened fractionally when he noticed Jongin at the windowsill, filing his nails with a stele. Jongin looked up briefly when he came in, and Kyungsoo schooled his features into an unaffected expression.

“Thank you for waiting, Jongdae,” Suho said politely, from behind Kyungsoo.

He placed an arm on Kyungsoo’s shoulder to move him forward, speaking to a Projection standing by the bookshelf. He turned upon their entry, and Kyungsoo came face to face with a man around his height, his skin pale but his features sharp like the edge of a knife. He wore a surprisingly modern outfit; black pants, white printed shirt and a ton of eyeliner.

“Time is one of the few things I have unfortunate excess of,” Jongdae spoke, his voice youthful. Kyungsoo wouldn’t have been able to tell his age had Suho not told him earlier.

“Is this the Nephilim who first found the bodies?” Jongdae continued, eyeing Kyungsoo curiously.

“Yes, this is him. Kyungsoo, this is Jongdae,” Suho said, standing to one side. Jongin looked on silently; his presence in the room was driving Kyungsoo nuts. Why was he staring at them like he was about to pounce like a cat?

“Hello,” Kyungsoo bowed slightly, “you wanted to ask me some questions?”

“I did. For it is strange that the body of a vampire should disappear when it is not in your sight. We are the undead, but once staked or beheaded, nothing can be done to bring the corpse back to life,” he said, a sour note to his voice.

Kyungsoo said, “Well, it is a capital offence for vampires to feed on humans, which was what they were doing before we intervened—”

“Don’t presume to remind me of your Laws as stated in your Accords. I know perfectly well what you Nephilim think you can tell us to do or not to do,” Jongdae waved a hand at him haughtily. Kyungsoo ground his teeth together, lapsing into silence.

“Some of my kind may thirst for human blood, it is true. But the manner of which you say they behaved is truly strange. And again, for the body to disappear…” Jongdae trailed off.

Kyungsoo sighed. “I honestly can’t say I know what happened either. All I know is that when I got there, I saw the puddles of blood, the stakes we’d left behind and everything were just as we left them, save for that fourth body. I tried looking for it too, but there was nothing to indicate the body had been moved. And, you can check out the place yourself tonight; you’ll see that there aren’t many hiding places in that park.”

Jongdae appeared thoughtful. “A pity that the other three bodies are nothing but ash now. Perhaps Shadowhunters may want to reconsider their methods, should they decide to conduct an investigation against the Night Children—”

“Our methods are none of your concern,” Jongin interrupted from the windowsill. He stood to his full height, squaring his shoulders as Jongdae’s attention shifted over to him. Suho was mouthing and gesturing frantically at Jongin from over Jongdae’s shoulder to stop, but Jongin was nothing if not stubborn as a mule.

“They were attacking mundanes, and when we tried to stop them, they almost killed us too. We had every right to end their lives—”

“I’d watch your tongue if I were you, Nephilim,” Jongdae said sharply, “the Night Children takes care of its own. Were it not for your blasted Accords, I would have no need to discuss this matter with you in the first place. If your Institute respects Downworlders at all,” he narrowed his eyes as he said this, “then you will watch what you say.”

Jongin knew a reprimand when he heard one. He didn’t like it, if the way he gripped his stele was anything to go by. Suho intervened however, because things could take another bad turn.

“I am terribly, terribly sorry for the _complete_ and _utter_ _lack_ in manners on behalf of Jongin, Jongdae, forgive him, he’s still young—”

“All of you are,” Jongdae said, abruptly bored.

“We are, indeed, which is why we may require your help on this case. We’d like permission to question the members of your clan about this. Perhaps they might’ve noticed their friends are missing, or they might have some kind of clue as to what might have happened.”

Jongdae waved a hand. “You have my permission. You may also speak to Yifan, my second in command, at your discretion. A warning, however. My kinsmen tend to take long breaks from their settled homes to travel sometimes; wanderlust is not lost upon us. I too, was away in Peru and have only just returned last night.”

“Noted. Thank you, thank you,” Suho bowed, “we will endeavor to solve this at once, Jongdae. We’ll contact you, if there’s any new information regarding this matter?”

Jongdae nodded once. He began to shimmer around the edges. “Yes, we shall speak soon. Till next time,” he bowed once, before his Projection disappeared. Kyungsoo exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Suho took one look at Jongin and exploded like a firecracker.

“Jongin! Why did you do that? You know he’s an important figure in this city and it’d do us no good to have a vampire as powerful as he is to be angry with us. For once in your life, Jongin—”

“I know,” Jongin snapped, “keep my mouth shut.” Kyungsoo could tell there was more to it, brimming right on Jongin’s tongue but he kept silent. Kyungsoo wanted to go over to him, maybe speak to him quietly and tell him that that was probably not what Suho meant. Unfortunately, the moment wasn’t right, Kyungsoo was too far away from him and Jongin’s stance was defensive.

Deflating ever so slightly, Kyungsoo stared at the ground in a sullen silence.

“Bad manners aside, the good thing that came out of that meeting is that we’ve got Jongdae’s permission to basically poke around—”

Before he could go on, Baekhyun burst through the door as if he’d been waiting behind it all this time, triumph written all across his face.

“So do not fret, my children, for the solution is here!” he cried, with a finger pointed in the way. Kyungsoo frowned at his parabatai.

“You have incredibly bad timing,” he said.

“We can now move on with the plan as planned,” Baekhyun continued in a loud, grand voice. Just then, Sehun, Chanyeol and Jinah peeked timidly into the office. Suho blinked at them.

“Ahaha, we just um… heard all the commotion. And Baekhyun was pressed up against the door listening, so we just... y’know, thought there was something juicy going on,” Jinah laughed nervously.

“But there _is_ something juicy going on! Tell them, Suho,” Baekhyun pretended to pass a baton to Suho, dabbing as he sank into a chair. Kyungsoo wished he would just melt into the walls of the Institute. He plopped into a chair as well, the varying emotions inside of him just a bit too much to handle.

“Tell them what? Is there something going on?” Jongin asked, lifting an eyebrow. _Oh my God, he’s so sexy, I can’t do this,_ Kyungsoo thought.

“Well, remember the invitations the faerie gave us?” Suho asked. Everyone nodded.

“It’s for a party which Baekhyun says is going to be big. And if we’re talking big, it means Yifan will be there, if not with Jongdae as well,” Suho said.

“Yeah!” Baekhyun exclaimed, “Kyungsoo told me about it just now, and it’s a great idea because it’s the easiest way to corner Yifan without getting killed. And, we all get to go to an awesome party—”

“Not all of us can go. Only two can,” Jongin reminded him. 

“I’ll go, of course. And maybe Sehun or Chanyeol can come,” Baekhyun volunteered. Sehun was already bristling with curiosity by the door, while Chanyeol started flexing his arm, for whatever reason.

“A faerie party, you say?” Sehun’s eyes glinted.

Suho held out his hands placatingly at them both. “You guys can’t go,” he said, very seriously.

“What? Why?” they demanded like a set of triplets. _Or twits,_ Kyungsoo pursed his lips at the three of them. Trust Baekhyun and Sehun to take advantage of any Downworlder party that reaches their ears. And it was bad enough that Chanyeol would do whatever they wanted to for the sake of getting involved.

“Well, because neither of you were there that night, for one, and you wouldn’t know what kind of questions to ask—”

“Then you can’t go either, ‘cause you have to babysit us,” Baekhyun shot back, pretending to tear up. Sehun was already (fake) sobbing into the doorframe, an arm over his face as his shoulders shook. Chanyeol bit on his fist to hold back his (also fake) tears. Jinah meanwhile, looked bored but not entirely surprised.

Jongin laughed at Baekhyun. “I’m not sure that’s a terrible way to spend the night. I’d spend a night babysitting you over faerie parties on any day.”

“Which is why you’ll go, actually,” Suho said. Jongin nearly stumbled over his feet in shock, his mouth dropping open.

“What—? Why me? I— No,” Jongin sputtered.

“Yes,” Suho said calmly, “I was trying to figure out who should go, but since you were so forthcoming with your opinions earlier,” he sent Jongin a pointed look, “I thought that energy could be directed to something else, like interrogating Yifan. Think of it as punishment, Jongin, and really think about who you’re talking to next next time.

“You’re charming when you want to be anyway, which is always handy when dealing with faeries. Aren’t you?”

Jongin looked like he wanted to flip the table over his head.

“And as for the second invitation,” Suho shifted his gaze to the rest of them. Sehun and Baekhyun perked up, while Jinah gave a reluctant smile. She was a good fighter, usually willing to be the scapegoat sometimes but she wasn’t a big fan of faerie parties. Perhaps Suho knew this too, because his gaze settled upon Kyungsoo.

“Kyungsoo will go,” Suho said, with an air of finality that demanded no arguments, “you noticed that the body was missing. Maybe you will be able to find it.”

Behind Suho, Baekhyun mouthed at him, ‘You’re done for.’

-

When Jongin stormed out of the office, Kyungsoo had to use maximum effort to chase after him, running to catch up to his side. Jongin looked furious, downright murderous.

“Jongin, listen—”

“I’m not in the mood, Soo,” Jongin said dismissively, his face stony. Kyungsoo had to jog to keep up with his long strides. He could hardly remember what he wanted to say between struggling to match Jongin’s pace and trying not to bump into anything along the way. But he had to try, or he’d never get it off his chest.

“Jongin, please, I know you’re mad,” Kyungsoo tried again. Jongin turned away sharply, down into the hallway Kyungsoo recognized. It was the way to Jongin’s room.

“Jongin, don’t cut me out like this,” Kyungsoo begged one last time.

It was futile to talk to Jongin when he was in a foul mood like this. He stormed into his room without a word, and Kyungsoo stopped short outside, not wanting to intrude on Jongin’s personal space. The door slammed shut right in his face before he could even get another word out from his mouth. It was as good as outright rejection.

Kyungsoo growled and yelled incoherently at the door, kicking at it hard enough to leave a dent. It rattled but didn’t budge, further fueling Kyungsoo’s anger. Never in his entire life had Kyungsoo ever felt so wounded and indignant.  

“Fuck you, Jongin!” Kyungsoo shouted at the top of his lungs. From somewhere in the Institute, Baekhyun yelled, “WHOA.”

“And fuck you too, Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo muttered. He stared at the door, breathing hard for a few seconds. He hated this. He hated the way Jongin completely shut him out. And he hated the way that it hurt him so much that he felt hot tears in the back of his eyes.

 _No_ , Kyungsoo thought, swiping at his eyes angrily, _no, I’m not going to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry._ He shot the door one last hateful look as if it was Jongin himself. And yet at the same time, he was filled with self-loathing because as much as he hated the way Jongin was treating him, Kyungsoo would never be able to turn him away.

He turned on his heel, telling himself he was content to let Jongin mope in his room like a spoiled child for as long as he wanted.

As he began to walk off, he barely heard the sound of a door slowly creaking open over his own angry thoughts. He was about to turn a corner, heading out of Jongin’s hallway before he heard.

“Hyung?” a small voice came. It was horribly familiar, and Kyungsoo’s pride screamed at him not to turn, not to respond. He knew he had every right to walk away; Jongin had never been this horrible to him, and he wanted nothing more than to inflict the same pain back at him. But his heart was louder.

 _Jongin never calls me hyung_.

Kyungsoo stopped, but refused to turn around.

“I’m sorry I slammed the door,” Jongin said softly. “Hyung?”

Only half of Jongin’s face was visible from the door way when Kyungsoo looked over his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he said, quietly this time. Then he disappeared back into his room. This time, the door was open.

Kyungsoo stared at the spot where Jongin had been standing for a few seconds. His resolve lasted all of ten seconds before he walked back over, scrubbing at his hair furiously.

Kyungsoo shut the door behind himself when he entered, glancing around Jongin’s room.

It looked the same as ever, neat, bordering on obsessively clean. A closet to Kyungsoo’s right, a bed on his left. A selection of Jongin’s family heirlooms hung on the wall. They were mostly decorated blades and below it was a small shelf of Jongin’s favorite books. Kyungsoo knew some of the titles by heart, had read them in the library with Jongin over long afternoons.

Sehun’s presence in Jongin’s room were apparent too, through his belongings scattered throughout the room. His stele, which he was always prone to misplacing. A hairband, for when he stole Jinah’s face masks and needed to keep his hair out of the way. Kyungsoo tried not to look closely into why Sehun’s belongings could be here.

Right ahead was a windowsill with Jongin seated upon it. He was looking moodily out into the night, a slim leg planted firmly on the ground.

Kyungsoo leaned against the door. Jongin took his breath away sometimes, in the simplest of ways. He looked like a dark, brooding prince.

“You wanna talk about it?” he asked, sounding steadier than he felt.

Jongin ran a hand through his hair, his head ducking low. “No. I don’t know,” he sighed wearily.

All of his anger had left him, leaving anxiety in its wake. Kyungsoo found that he had no energy to be angry at Jongin either. Not when loving him already made him feel like he was suffocating. Some things he just had to let go.   

“Suho was just trying to protect the relationship between Shadowhunters and Downworlders, Jingle. You shouldn’t have talked back to the vampire like that,” Kyungsoo sighed, “Would’ve saved us all this trouble about going to that party anyway.”

Jongin lifted his head, frowning. “Are you kidding? The party’s not what I’m mad about. It’s that— that scumbag of a vampire, Jongdae.

“I didn’t like the way he was talking to you. He was rude, and getting all high-handed for no damn reason. We’re doing him a favor as it is, trying to find out where the body—”

“You were insulted on my behalf? Wow, Jongin, that’s… that’s new,” Kyungsoo said, a crooked smile on his face. Jongin stopped, indignant. Then he caught the look on Kyungsoo’s face and laughed, dipping his head down in mild embarrassment.

“I-I… Well, yeah, that’s basically it,” Jongin said, straightening himself. He towered a good five inches over Kyungsoo when he stood at his full height, and somehow still managed to make himself look small. Kyungsoo ruffled his hair, forcing himself not to linger his fingers between the fine strands. 

“Unnecessary on your part, but appreciated,” Kyungsoo told him.

“You’re family, Soo. I’m not going to just stand there while someone disrespects you,” Jongin said, hunching his shoulders in as he tucked his hands into his pockets.

That caught Kyungsoo’s attention, and he tried to hide his frown.

 _Family_ , the word echoed in his head.

It was all Kyungsoo was to Jongin. Cherished as a family member, but nothing more. And that was all he seemed to want out of Jongin, though it was nowhere near what Kyungsoo wanted from Jongin. More, more, even though Kyungsoo had no right to ask for it.

“Thanks,” Kyungsoo mumbled. This time, he couldn’t keep the bitter disappointment out of his voice. He turned away at the same time, pretending to admire the swords on Jongin’s wall as if he’d never seen them before. In fact, he’d been in Jongin’s room enough times to recognize the rubies and garnets on his family sword, as well as the lions carved into the wooden handles on a set of knives. Lions were Jongin’s family symbol, and Kyungsoo always thought it befitted him.

 “Soo, about the party,” Jongin said from behind Kyungsoo.

“Yeah?” Kyungsoo responded, composing himself once more to look at Jongin. He had moved over to the bed now, sitting on it.

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” Jongin said cautiously, “I can talk to Suho about it, and you can sit this one out. Sehun could probably take your place; he’d be much better at handling himself at a faerie party.”

“You mean getting drunk on faerie drinks and sugar plums is how Sehun handles himself?” Kyungsoo snorted.

“Well, I never said he was immune to the charms of a faerie party…” Jongin started to smile.

“Yeah, it has as much charm as a crocodile living in your swimming pool does. Don’t kid yourself, Jongin. Sehun’s not gonna have your back if you’re trying to get information out of Yifan,” Kyungsoo said dismissively. Parabatai or not, he had his weaknesses. Kyungsoo wouldn’t count on his own parabatai to protect him at the party either.

“And you will?” Jongin replied, almost curiously.

“Of course I will. We’re family, right?” Kyungsoo shrugged. Family, and nothing else. It wasn’t like Kyungsoo ever stood a chance. There was a brief, somewhat awkward silence. Kyungsoo picked up Sehun’s stele idly from Jongin’s desk, admired the pattern of storks carved into the ivory handle.

“You sure you’re still not mad at me?” Jongin asked, “for slamming the door at your face?”

Kyungsoo glanced towards him. “No, why?”

“You called me Jongin,” he replied, almost wondrously. His dark brown eyes were deep, mystifying to Kyungsoo as they’d always been. Kyungsoo wondered if Jongin could tell that he almost never called Jongin by name because he liked to savor it, preferred it to be spoken in his head rather than carelessly by tongue.

The hard J, followed by the soft caress of the I. Jingle was just a nickname Sehun made up when he tried to rhyme Jongin’s name with a word. Everyone stopped using it after a while, but it was Kyungsoo who stuck to it whenever he wanted to address Jongin.

Jingle, when he wanted to share a joke or a particularly well-written passage from a book. Jongin, for when he was mad, or when Kyungsoo thought of him during sleepless nights in bed.

“We’re all good,” Kyungsoo forced a smile.

*

The hour before the party, Kyungsoo put on his best clothes, which was a dark red sweater that didn’t have any ichor stains, holes or looked discolored. It had been a Christmas gift some years ago, which Kyungsoo usually set aside for times like these. Then his training pants, which were black and basically went with anything. He didn’t think faeries would appreciate it if he wore his ratty jeans to their fancy shmancy party.

After fitting on his boots, Kyungsoo patted himself down. He felt ready, or as ready as he would ever be for a blasted party like this. He came out of his room and headed to the living room where Suho was waiting to brief them one last time before they went out on their mission.

Suho was saying something about being extremely careful around faeries before he took one horrified look at him and sputtered, “Go put on some proper clothes. _Now_.”

Kyungsoo looked down at his outfit in confusion. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

The sweater hid the two daggers jammed down the waist of his pants, and the sleeves concealed an electrum knife on one side, a stake on the other. His boots hid the stele strapped to his left ankle. It was a perfectly functional outfit and looked appropriate.

“Dude,” Sehun said from the sofa, where his long limbs were in a disarray, “they’ll throw you out if you’re dressed like that.”

“I’m dressed fine,” Kyungsoo insisted. Baekhyun was tutting away for England in contempt, shaking his head and so on from where he sat on the ground near the sofa.

“By the Angel, Soo, you can’t be dressed like you’re about to go to some depressing bar and order a depressing drink. You have to be dressed like— like Jongin,” Baekhyun pointed behind Kyungsoo.

He knew it would be a mistake to turn around, but he did anyway. As soon as he did, Kyungsoo regretted it instantly.

Lo and behold, Jongin in all his tanned glory. He was hot when he didn’t try to be, but was now smoldering hot like a barbeque with a bit of effort. He’d thrown on a leather jacket, studded on the front flap with all sorts of zips and buckles everywhere that hardly seemed necessary (but looked good).

He had on his training Shadowhunter pants too, but they looked different on him than it did on Kyungsoo. Jongin looked dangerous, seductively so.

Kyungsoo had to avert his eyes as he always did with Jongin. He despaired ever surviving the night.

“Ya son of a gun,” Chanyeol’s voice boomed, a hand clapping over Jongin’s shoulder. He winced a second later, having landed his hand right onto the metal studs. Kyungsoo fingered the edge of his sweater nervously, feeling self-conscious. He’d thought that he looked decent for the party. But looking at Jongin now reminded him that faeries liked pretty and charming things, both of which Kyungsoo was not.

He was supposed to look more than decent for the party. Kyungsoo had to look _indecent_ , if he wanted to fit in.

“Gosh, I should’ve shopped for more stuff for you,” Baekhyun said, coming over to stand before Kyungsoo. He picked at the sweater with his slim fingers, trying to adjust them around Kyungsoo’s frame. “All those years of letting you buy drab, sad sweaters and now you’re finally going to pay the price—”

“I think he looks fine,” Jongin cut in, looking at them. His gaze was too much for Kyungsoo, and he had to settle for looking at his artfully messy hair. Jinah must’ve done it for him; Jongin’s bed head usually didn’t look this good.

“I think I could do something to your hair, if you’ll let me,” Jinah’s voice whispered in Kyungsoo’s ear. He jumped slightly, turning to see Jinah standing behind him. How had she snuck up on him? Must’ve been while Kyungsoo was admiring Jongin and losing his focus as usual.

She was looking at Kyungsoo’s hair with some consideration, as if trying to picture what kind of style would fit him.

“No, it’s… fine,” Kyungsoo waved her and Baekhyun away.

“Oh, c’mon, Soo, I have something that could fit you and make you look a little more… I don’t know, sexy?” Baekhyun said.

“I don’t want that mesh shirt you bought from Forever 21,” Kyungsoo said immediately. Jinah snorted with derisive laughter, while Baekhyun curled his lip.

“Shut the—”

“There’s no need for Kyungsoo to change if he doesn’t want to,” said Suho, the ever present peacemaker between them. He gave Kyungsoo a reassuring glance.

“As long as one of them looks good, it’s enough. Kyungsoo looks fine anyway, he could have the element of surprise,” Suho said. Kyungsoo smiled, or tried to. Baekhyun and Jinah slunk back in visible disappointment. Kyungsoo was just grateful Jinah had yet to get her hands on him; there was glitter on her hands now that he looked closely, and he could only imagine what would happen if he let her style him up.

“The most important thing about tonight is that you guys remain vigilant about your surroundings. Remember that you’re there not to have fun but to get information out of Yifan,” Suho said sternly. While he spoke, Jinah flounced off to get something from the large cabinet of old, fragile porcelain tableware, and returned with the flowers in her hand.

They had not turned brown or wilted throughout the two weeks it spent in the cabinet, to Kyungsoo’s surprise. They probably survived on a magic of some kind. The pink, large petals were soft to the touch when Kyungsoo took one from Jinah.

She passed the other to Jongin, who looked at it curiously. Kyungsoo cupped it carefully in his hands.

“We have the invitation. So where are we going?” Kyungsoo asked, caressing the flower carefully. Suho had been jabbering on about safety, and stopped with a confused, blank expression.

“O-oh. I haven’t thought about that. Usually a faerie comes on the eve of a party to tell you where it’ll be held but… Well, this is tricky.”

“You mean the faerie didn’t say?” Kyungsoo frowned. He’d thought that she had mentioned it, but just slipped his mind since attending the party wasn’t one of his top priorities that night.

“Oh, well, not to worry, you can just go back to where you first received the invitation. And it’s the Olympic Park, right?” Baekhyun piped up, “there’s an entrance at almost all of their territories.” Everyone turned to look at him. He blinked, slowly at first, then pointed at Sehun.

“I— He told me that,” Baekhyun said. Sehun scowled and swatted at his hand.

“The entrance?” Kyungsoo echoed. Baekhyun smiled slyly. “I can show you both to the entrance if you’d like. It’s not the most conventional of entrances, believe me.”

“I believe you,” Kyungsoo nodded sarcastically.

Jongin snorted with silent laughter. Wherever or however the entrance was, Kyungsoo was sure that it couldn’t be worse than spending the next few hours at a party with Jongin dressed like this.

-

Kyungsoo was proven wrong when he got down from their Uber ride with Baekhyun and Jongin in tow. Baekhyun refused to budge on details about the entrance to the Seelie Courts until they got to Olympic Park, which got on Kyungsoo’s nerves.

“Tell me,” he kept grousing in the car.

“You know I can’t, not until we reach Olympic Park,” Baekhyun had said with a snide look, glancing at the mundane driver. Jongin was unaffected by it all, listening quietly. Kyungsoo thought that perhaps he was quiet because he didn’t have his parabatai by his side unlike the both of them, though he couldn’t be sure.

So Kyungsoo fidgeted in silence, until this very moment, the night casting grey and black shadows on his surroundings. It would’ve looked peaceful, calming even. Then Baekhyun started talking, drowning out any chance of peace before getting to the damned party.

“Okay, so first we need to head north,” Baekhyun said, standing still with his hands out like a blind man. He started sniffing the air like he could smell directions and Kyungsoo snorted.

“You do realize you have the True North rune on your neck?” Kyungsoo asked. He walked ahead of them, letting the rune’s power kick in. It was more of a strong gut feeling really, than anything else. And Shadowhunters certainly couldn’t _smell_ directions anyway. Kyungsoo only needed to take three steps for it to tug him towards the right, where a dark copse of trees stood.

Behind him, Jongin was chuckling. “Sometimes I just love you, hyung, you know that?” he said, ruffling his hair affectionately. Kyungsoo choked, then disguised it into a cough lest Baekhyun started mouthing off. He smiled tightly at Jongin. But inside, his heart started thumping like a drum.

“It only kicks in when I get a really good sense of the place,” Baekhyun scowled at Kyungsoo, “see if you’re smart enough to find the entrance on your own,” he muttered under his breath.

Kyungsoo just gave him a dry look. They walked into the trees, where north lay. Jongin was ahead of them by a few steps, looking very much like the bad boy he was, walking through the woods with a cautious hand on his hip, where Kyungsoo knew his dagger rested. If nothing good were to come out of this party, at least he still had this opportunity to admire Jongin looking like a darkling.

Baekhyun seemed much more carefree than Jongin, stretching his arms out and breathing in the cool air. “Ahh,” he sighed, “I miss going on walks like these.”

“You mean on walks where you get hopelessly lost and I have to go out looking for you?” Kyungsoo deadpanned. Baekhyun ignored him, doing a little twirl as he hummed to himself. Jongin turned to look at them from the front, one corner of his mouth turned up.

Kyungsoo cocked an eyebrow at him. “It’s nothing,” Jongin laughed softly, “you both just… go very well together.” Then he turned to face the front again, before Kyungsoo could answer. He didn’t know what he was supposed to say to that anyway; they were are fitting for one another as all parabatai were.

 _Who is he to talk about going very well together anyway?_ Kyungsoo thought bitterly. If Kyungsoo and Baekhyun looked good together, then Sehun and Jongin were practically an old married couple. Neither of them hid much from one another, and they always looked out for each other in fights. Both made terrible jokes and sucked at cooking. Not that Kyungsoo wasn’t close to his parabatai, but he wanted Jongin to care for him too. Just… in a different way.

“Hey, are you gonna start telling where we’re going soon, ‘cause if you’re not then I think we’re lost,” Jongin suddenly said. That snapped Kyungsoo out of his thoughts, and he looked around. The park was no longer in sight. Trees, branches and shrubs were all that he could see.

“Just a little further, I think,” Baekhyun said, scratching his head.

“You think?” Kyungsoo repeated incredulously.

“Okay, fine. I’m sure of it,” Baekhyun said brightly.

Jongin stopped. “If we’re lost…” the threat was clear in his voice. Baekhyun waved them away. “Oh please, we’re fine. If you’re really worried, then just start looking for rabbit holes.”

Kyungsoo frowned. “R-rabbit holes? For what, this isn’t time to be hunting—”

“Quit acting like a caveman for a second,” Baekhyun snapped his fingers in his face. Kyungsoo hated it when Baekhyun did that; he could never snap his fingers. He could never get the hang of it.

“The entrance _is_ a rabbit hole, you fools. As for which one… Well, it’s a big one, that’s all I know. Wasn’t in the best state when I came around here the first time,” Baekhyun shrugged. He felt around with his foot carefully, trying to look for a spot with a rabbit hole.

“Is there a marking, maybe? Near a tree or something?” Kyungsoo asked. Surely the faeries didn’t expect guests to go through all this work just to get to a _party_.

“There could be one,” Jongin said, already checking the trees near him with his witchlight, “look for stones arranged in a special way. Sometimes faeries like to do that near entrances to the Seelie Court.”

So Kyungsoo got down on his knees and searched for said stones in the darkness, scratching his hand on unseen thorns and sharp twigs. He knew the sort he had to look out for; faeries only liked smooth stones, so it would be easy to discern from other rocks, but there was hardly anything in these woods. All he could feel with his hands was sand and grass. And he couldn’t get his witchlight out because he needed both hands to push bushes or shrubs aside, which made his task a lot harder than it needed to be.

Occasionally, their blind searching in the dark would halt whenever Baekhyun put his foot down a badger hole. He’d yell out and scare the crap out of Kyungsoo before apologizing while cussing his heart out.

“Ya goddamn demon-spawn— ugh, sorry guys,” he muttered. Kyungsoo sighed. At this rate, they’d probably never find the entrance in time.

After another half hour of rustling about and getting poked for the thousandth time on his hands, Jongin called for their attention.

“Hey guys? I think I found it,” Jongin said, standing by a tall tree. Kyungsoo got up gratefully, clapping his hands to get dirt off. He was going to need an iratze or two later for all the cuts and wounds he’d sustained.

“What is it?” Baekhyun ambled over excitedly. Jongin held up his witchlight to the tree. At a spot near his head was a carving of a leaf in the tree’s bark, neat and small. It shone with a curious golden dull when the witchlight came close.

“Where’s the rabbit hole then? Shouldn’t be too far, right?” Kyungsoo asked, stepping about gingerly.

Baekhyun tutted at him. “Don’t be dense, Kyungsoo, of course it isn’t at that spot where you’re standing,” he said. Baekhyun moved to shove him a little closer towards Jongin, who was startled into momentary silence.

“Wait, Baekhyun, what do you think you’re—”

The next thing Kyungsoo knew, he felt Baekhyun push at him hard, one more time. He crashed right into Jongin’s chest, who in turn lost his footing and stumbled backwards. But instead of them falling onto the ground, Kyungsoo heard something give away, like thin branches breaking apart. He gasped, feeling the ground give way. Then they were falling, truly, into a rabbit hole.

Freefalling was not exactly Kyungsoo’s area of expertise. He flipped and turned at a dizzying rate, hands reached out to try and catch onto something.

Kyungsoo gripped nothing but thin air, and found himself trying not scream as he continued to fall.

“Kyungsoo!” he could Jongin shouting for his name. But it was useless; Kyungsoo could neither see him nor reach him. It was dark, whatever this place was, apart from occasional, flickering lights.

He thought they were figments of his imagination at first, but they became more frequent, like falling into a tunnel where fireflies made their home. Yellow streaked his peripheral vision as he seemed to pick up speed.

Then it suddenly grew brighter around him, bright enough for him to squint. He caught sight of what looked like a bed at the bottom of the rabbit hole, though he couldn’t be sure. All he knew was that he was going to crash, and curled into a fetal position the way he was taught to ever since he was eleven. Kyungsoo shut his eyes, bracing himself.

He hit a hard but bouncy surface not three seconds later. Kyungsoo rolled forward as best as he could manage, his breath knocked right out of him. Something bounced beside him too, with a loud, familiar yell.

 _He’s safe_ , was all Kyungsoo could think of.

It took him a few seconds of blinking after that to realize he’d come to a stop, and the falling sensation was only in his head. He heard some rustling about, and a face loomed over his.

“Kyungsoo?” Jongin said softly. He sounded stricken, afraid. Kyungsoo blinked slowly.

“Jingle?” he responded. Jongin sucked in a breath of relief, shutting his eyes. Kyungsoo held a hand out, touching Jongin’s face almost in wonder. For a moment, in that horrible freefall, he’d thought that this was it. He’d never touch or see Jongin again.

“I thought you were dead,” Jongin said, low in his throat. “Sorry to disappoint,” Kyungsoo muttered, dropping his hand. There was only so much Jongin could chalk up to shock. Then Jongin began to laugh, the way he always did when he was caught by surprise.

“No, you’re not,” Jongin said. Slowly, they got to their feet. Turns out that the bed Kyungsoo saw really was a bed, made of wool and downy feathers. It was the only thing that stood between his face and the hard packed earth that served as the ground here. It had no bedframe however, and looked a little misshapened after their tumble.

Apart from that, there was nothing else in the small room they seemed to be in, save for a corridor that led somewhere. Beyond it, Kyungsoo thought he could hear the sounds of a party.

“Huh. Funny way of making an entrance, don’t you think?” Jongin said, looking up. Kyungsoo followed suit, and found himself looking up a hollowed out ceiling. It looked like he was peering up a very big pipe, or chimney. Somewhere on normal ground level was that traitorous Baekhyun. Kyungsoo was willing to bet he was laughing his head off up there.  

“Yeah, funny’s one way to put it,” Kyungsoo grumbled, pulling out a stele to draw an iratze on himself. He didn’t feel injured in any way, but putting a rune on himself wouldn’t hurt. Plus he might need his hands functioning properly after the beating they’d taken from all that searching.

“Hey, you’re hurt?” Jongin asked, when he noticed Kyungsoo’s stele glowing. He came over at once, inquiringly. Kyungsoo brushed him away.

“Not anymore,” he reassured Jongin, watching the black lines sink into his skin. The shallow cuts on his knuckles and palms started to knit themselves closed. Jongin didn’t look satisfied, running his fingertips over Kyungsoo’s knuckles gently.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, almost inaudibly. Kyungsoo almost didn’t catch it.

“For what?” he asked, baffled. Kyungsoo tucked his stele away into his pocket, grateful that the fall didn’t break it into pieces.

“For not… watching out for you,” Jongin replied gruffly.

“You didn’t have to,” Kyungsoo burst out into surprised laughter, “I wasn’t counting on it, Jingle boy. I can take care of myself,” he nudged at Jongin playfully.

“Sure, but... I don’t have my parabatai. And you don’t have yours either. Which means I have to look out for you,” Jongin said simply. Kyungsoo looked at him. By the Angel, it was too easy to be in love with him. He made Kyungsoo’s hopes and heart flutter every time he said something like that.

“I’ll be fine, Jongin,” Kyungsoo said, trying not to smile, “I… tie my own shoelaces and everything.” He got off the bed, dusting himself off. Nothing hurt, and everything seemed to move the right way. Jongin too stood on his feet, patting himself down to make sure his weapons were still in place.

“You think anyone noticed?” Kyungsoo asked.

“I doubt anything gets past the fey,” Jongin said, twisting his body this way and that. He looked prepared for anything that the Seelie Courts would throw at him, whether a scathing comment or something much more deadly. Just as he said those words, footsteps began to echo down the only hallway leading to the strange room they were in.

Jongin tensed ever so slightly, his hand going to the inside of his jacket. Kyungsoo had a short seraph blade tucked into his boots, and would take it out if Jongin couldn’t handle the situation. Not that that happened very often.

A faerie knight appeared, with neon blue skin and eyes as green as emeralds. His hair was woven with vines and tiny, colorful wildflowers. He wore armor that looked more decorative than any other kind of armor Kyungsoo had ever seen. It was rose gold and had the scales of a fish carved delicately over the chest. He bowed before them, a hand over his middle.

“The Seelie Queen sends her regards, and thanks you for attending the party,” the knight spoke, in a voice that sounded rather normal for his appearance.

“And we thank you for inviting us,” Jongin said easily, dropping his hand from his jacket and nodding back at the faerie. Kyungsoo did the same, going to stand beside Jongin.

“You are most welcome to stay with us in the Seelie Courts for as long as you want, given that you leave before sunrise. I must also ask you of a small favour,” the knight said.

Jongin lifted an eyebrow. “What is it?” he asked curiously.

“The flowers that you received as invitations. May I see it?” the knight said. Jongin and Kyungsoo looked at one another. It was a strange favor to ask.

“Why?” Jongin asked, lifting an eyebrow.

“For security,” the knight lifted an eyebrow, sensing their hesitance, “the Queen wishes her guests to enjoy the party, and would not like any strangers intruding in the Courts tonight.”

Kyungsoo shrugged and dug into his pocket, where he’d folded the flower in as nicely as he could. The flower seemed to unfold itself when he brought it out, its petals large and unmarked. Its colors looked much more vibrant too, perhaps a peculiar effect of being in the Seelie Courts.

“Do we have to do anything else to enter?” Kyungsoo asked.

“Keep it to yourself should you wish to leave the Courts safely by sunrise,” the knight said. “Lose it, and you are bound to the Courts to stay. Some may find this a gamble, as the Seelie Courts’ grand parties involve dancing, dining, conversing with other guests… It is a whirlwind of breathless entertainment, one that mere mortals may be unable to keep up with.” He made it sound as if losing the flowers was something that occurred often.

Though he couldn’t see how yet, Kyungsoo thought this could well be a trap. Trouble was the last thing the two Shadowhunters needed, especially with such a precarious mission on their shoulders. Kyungsoo played with the petals nervously.

Jongin had his flower in his hand too, shrugging at Kyungsoo when he glanced over. For a brief moment, Kyungsoo had a vision of Jongin holding a bunch of flowers as he walked through a field of lavender, a crown of twisted daisies and baby’s breath upon his head… 

“Lucky for you, we’re not mere mortals,” Jongin grinned wolfishly.

The knight smiled. “Thank you, Shadowhunters for your clemency. Allow me to lead you to the party,” he said, holding out a hand towards the hallway. His fingers looked like rolled leaves, with little vines curling up his arms. Kyungsoo tried not to stare, and followed his lead.

The hallway wasn’t not as long as it appeared to be. The walls were smooth, like the inside of a shell. It even had the hollow quality to it, sounds of people chattering and faerie music echoing towards them and at the same time, inhibiting certain noises like the sound of their footsteps. It felt soundproof and muted in a way.

 _Probably because we’re underground_ , Kyungsoo thought with a frown. He feared little, but death by suffocating underground wasn’t his idea of the greatest way to go.

However, all thoughts of dying soon flew out of his head when they emerged into a large area, the ceiling abruptly rising up several feet above their heads.

Chandeliers wrought with gold and flowers, hanging down heavily from a chain. Candles were lit on the chandeliers, their flames flickering turquoise. Below the chandeliers was the party, where small groups of people clustered together in the space to form a large crowd.

Long tables with delicate cutlery and decorated with more flowers took up most of the main space, making the room appear cramped. Nonetheless, smaller chambers leading away from the main hall gave guests a sense of privacy if they needed it, with a curtain of flowers to keep prying eyes away.

Kyungsoo recognized several people at once when he looked around, the guests a mix of faeries and other Downworlders.

Vampires dressed in their emo best sat at the long table sipping blood while werewolves kept their distance, trying out the faerie fruits and snacks that had been set out. Kyungsoo suspected there would be trouble from them tonight, but so long as it stayed within the Seelie Courts, it would be fine. Then there were warlocks, scattered throughout the room and sparking green, red, yellow and blue whenever they gestured or tasted something in delight.

A faerie band at the far end of the hall was performing, playing a sappy love song as usual. Harps tinkled in the air, giving the entire party a signature fey feel.

Lastly, Kyungsoo also noticed they were only two Shadowhunter fools to have attended the party. This realization wasn’t lost upon the other guests; as soon as one noticed, others also started to notice and it wasn’t long before the entire hall bristled with uncertainty and mild hostility.

It was fortunate that Jongin had a nice face to look at, which would’ve softened the blow by a little bit. But for Kyungsoo, it was as good as having the entire party stare into his soul. He cleared his throat a little, and shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Great party,” Jongin murmured under his breath, snatching a drink from a passing faerie waiter’s tray. He sniffed at it and wrinkled his nose. Kyungsoo would’ve done the same but he was all out on waiters passing by. Nonetheless, Jongin held on to it to blend in with everyone else. Marks aside, he could’ve passed for a warlock or a very tan vampire.

“So how are we going to do this?” Kyungsoo asked. He wanted to just get this party over with, question Yifan and be out in the next minute. That was going to be a challenge, however, because they only had a vague notion of how he looked like.

And to top it off, they could hardly just go up to the closest vampire and demand for Yifan. No, that’d cause a scene in the middle of the courts, and the relationship between Shadowhunters and faeries was strained enough. They had no choice but to be subtle, and wait until someone’s tongue slipped. If Baekhyun was right, the man had to be here somewhere.

“I’d say split up and search, but I don’t want to lose sight of you,” Jongin said, nodding at a male warlock with large horns like a goat on his head. The warlock was staring at him blatantly, and smiled, showing sharp little teeth.

“I think he wants to flirt with you,” Kyungsoo remarked, managing to keep censure out of his voice.

“Yes. Yes, I think he does,” Jongin said, sounding pleased.

They began to walk through the crowd, inching past faeries’ wings and colorful sparks. Every so often they’d pass two or three vampires at a time, usually grinding to the music (though it wasn’t exactly orgy night in there).

Kyungsoo tried to look every tall, male vampire in the eye, but none of them struck him as the second most important vampire in Seoul.

All of them were beautiful, yes, but none seemed quite _important_ enough. Yifan couldn’t have rose to his current position without having his own power over the vampires in the first place, and hierarchy was everything to the vampires. There had to be _one_ vampire that they all ultimately deferred to.

“Are Ren and Indigo gonna show up any time soon?” Kyungsoo heard a vampire snarl beside him when he reached a rather tight spot in the crowd. The vampire had piercings all over— from his ears, brows to his lips— though it couldn’t have been silver. Stainless steel maybe, glinting in the candlelight. Kyungsoo could feel Jongin gripping the back of his shirt so he wouldn’t lose him.

“Beats me,” another vampire replied in Spanish, sending a glance in Kyungsoo’s direction. She was dressed in a golden dress, tight and showing all of her curves. Her blonde hair hung down in soft waves.

Kyungsoo pretended to hear nothing, though his senses were on high alert. If they took the trouble to switch languages, then something had to be up.

“They said they’d be here an hour ago,” the pierced vampire moaned.

“They’re running late on the deliveries,” she noted, balancing a tall glass of dark blood. _Deliveries?_ Kyungsoo noted with interest. But by now, he managed to slip past the crowd, and their voices were starting to fade away.

“Yifan won’t be pleased,” the male vampire groused. Kyungsoo strained his ears to listen, willing one of the runes on his arm to do its work.

He caught bits of what she said as he inched further away from them. “…don’t make it… meet demands…” And then she said something which Kyungsoo found odd, something that immediately stood out to him.

“…get the red acid…” As soon as they reached a relatively private corner, Kyungsoo tugged Jongin to one side. “Did you—”

“Hear that? Yeah, what was that about?” Jongin said, frowning, “she said something about red acid, right? Sounds odd to me.”

Kyungsoo couldn’t help a smile. “Guess someone’s Spanish is improving,” he remarked. Jongin lifted an eyebrow, regarding Kyungsoo with some surprise.

“Excuse me, but my Spanish has always been good,” he retorted.

“Your language studies say otherwise,” Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. Jongin snorted back at him, “Oh, please, says the one who almost failed calculus that one—”

“Wait, wait,” Kyungsoo interrupted, putting a hand out to Jongin. He slapped it aside.

“Wait what? I’ll have you know my Spanish has been steadily improving—”

“No, Jingle,” Kyungsoo almost punched him in exasperation, “I think it’s like code for something else.” Jongin widened his eyes at first, then smirked at him.

“And you got that from _me_? Well, well, look at who’s falling behind now,” Jongin said. Kyungsoo sighed, trying very hard not to laugh at Jongin’s face. Men’s delicate ego and all.

“No, I got it from the fact that sometimes people say one thing but could mean _otherwise_ ,” Kyungsoo said pointedly. Well, maybe he got the idea from Jongin in a way, but this wasn’t the time to argue about it because he just starting to recall something.

“Just hear me out here. Baekhyun used to call ‘red wine’ red juice back when we were kids, remember?” Kyungsoo asked, gesturing with his fingers. Jongin nodded, leaning back on the wall behind him. Guests continued to mill past them, some of them sending curious glances their way. Kyungsoo ignored them, his thoughts racing ahead of his talking abilities.

“It’s possible they’re talking about something else. They’re Korean anyway, what makes them so invested in speaking Spanish _as soon as_ we’re near?” Kyungsoo said.

“To test our language skills,” Jongin deadpanned.

Kyungsoo growled under his breath in frustration, stomping a foot almost subconsciously. Jongin regarded him with amusement. “Okay, okay, fine, I get where you’re going,” he held up his hands.

“And they like blood, don’t they? So maybe it’s a specific kind of blood. It could very well be anything, though. Red acid could be blood type A, in example. And like you said, they used a different word like a code so we wouldn’t understand,” Jongin reasoned.

At that, Kyungsoo smiled wide. “Jongin,” he said very seriously, “have I ever told you how much I love you?” He wasn’t even trying to be romantic at this point; sometimes Jongin was just too good at being a Shadowhunter.

On the other hand, that question must’ve completely went over Jongin’s head, because he blinked for a few seconds. Almost as if that question had caught Jongin by surprise. (A sudden declaration of love at a faerie party _was_ a bit excessive anyway, whether romantic or otherwise.)

“No, but… go on,” Jongin said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Jongin, you just gave me a reason to nitpick with Yifan. Which means we have every right to question him now,” Kyungsoo said, unable to contain his excitement. Jongin’s eyes lit up in mischief when he finally got it.

“…By the Angel, Kyungsoo, you’re right,” Jongin said. Now that was left was to look for the man himself. In the Accords, it was stated that a Shadowhunter could question a Downworlder if they were suspected of breaking the Law. And vampires were mostly definitely not supposed to be transporting human blood around like it was cheap wine. Even if procured legally, they could still question Yifan.

“I’d say we better start looking for him now,” Kyungsoo said.

They went off back into the crowd, this time splitting up so they could search more efficiently. They figured that if both of them found nothing, they would meet in half an hour at the room which they arrived in and leave the party.

But as it turned out, the vampires were careless and overconfident in the Shadowhunters’ inability to speak different human languages. Many of them spoke Spanish, French or even Mandarin, which Kyungsoo had no trouble keeping up with.

Most Institutes focused on teaching young Shadowhunters demon or warlock languages, but Sehun and Jinah’s parents had insisted on teaching them at least five languages, Korean excluded. Kyungsoo was certain even as he walked around that there was definitely something he could learn here tonight.

Not even fifteen minutes into pretending he was nibbling on faerie snacks, Kyungsoo immediately caught on to something. A few vampires were behind him, and were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t even notice Kyungsoo’s presence.

“Are you serious?” one of the vampires, female, exclaimed, “Ren promised me thirty ounces, and that was last week! They can’t just go around making promises and then delay the delivery.”

“Keep your voice down,” another cautioned her, “the order came from up above. Yifan told Minseok that the Nephilim are sniffing around, and we can’t have them looking into our business now, can we?”

“Blast the Nephilim,” a third one groused, “their buggering Accords are ever so oppressive anyway.”

Kyungsoo placed his sugar plum tart down calmly on the table. Then he cleared his throat and turned around, facing three disgruntled vampires. Upon recognizing him, they stiffened at once, their surprise apparent on their pale, beautiful faces. The three of them were dressed like they were in a band, their outfits color-coordinated in black and red with a touch of leather.

“Speaking of the Nephilim,” Kyungsoo said, rolling up one sleeve to reveal the stake he’d hidden on the inside of his arm, “take me to this Yifan you’ve been talking about.”

“You think you can threaten us like some street thug?” one of the vampires spoke, holding a hand to her chest in disgust. Kyungsoo removed the stake from his sleeve gently, holding the sharp point out to them subtly.

“Why, yes,” he nodded, “yes, I do.”

In the end, the male vampire whose name was Luhan said he’d lead Kyungsoo to Yifan if he didn’t make a scene.

Kyungsoo told him that he was in no position to make any demands, and that he wasn’t obliged to keep any promises but if the vampires couldn’t somehow make a meeting with Yifan happen, then there would _most definitely_ be a scene.

“Ugh, fine, fine,” Luhan held his hands up hastily when Kyungsoo poked the sharp end of the stake at his back. He was not a mortal man, but it would take a long time to recover from a stake through the spine, even for a vampire.

“Just start walking and we both can walk away from this without too much fuss,” Kyungsoo muttered, following Luhan closely from behind.

The other vampires stood to one side, sipping at their glasses anxiously, trying to appear undisturbed. Kyungsoo tried to look out for Jongin, but it was impossible with all the people in the way. He figured he’d just have to put his best stank face on if he had to face Yifan alone, or fight his way through Downworlders if that was what it came down to.

Kyungsoo felt somewhat mournful at that thought. He had hoped this sweater would last the night without a stain. Now it seemed like little more than wishful thinking.

“He’s here, in one of the private rooms,” Luhan said over his shoulder when they edged past some warlocks discussing the effects of conducting black magic on Earth’s weather. Behind them was a little pathway, leading through a thick curtain woven of daisies, pink orchids and carnations.

“You have to let me go inside first,” Luhan said, “he won’t see anyone unannounced.”

Kyungsoo immediately switched the stake from his back to his throat. “And how can you assure me that you’re not going to tell Yifan to kill me in that room and let me bleed out like a pig?” he said threateningly.

Luhan shrugged, fangs popping as he gave a wry grin. “You don’t.”

Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes. Luhan’s resolve melted in a matter of seconds. He sighed, “Because you’re cute, I won’t sell you out. But if we’re being honest?”

Kyungsoo tipped his head to one side questioningly. “It’s not you I’m afraid of,” Luhan said, something flashing in his eyes. Something that looked like resentment and fear, not a look common in vampires.

Before Kyungsoo could even answer, Luhan slipped away from him quietly and brushed past the curtain of flowers.

It swung heavily back and forth as Kyungsoo stood there, frozen. He was usually composed in missions, rarely shaken by fear, but that— what Luhan said; it made him wonder just what he’d gotten himself into.

Kyungsoo turned, looking back into the crowd, trying to see if he could spot Jongin before he went into that room. Not knowing if he could come back out of it alive, he was taken by a need to see Jongin’s face one more time. Unrecognizable faces was all he could see, despite him straining on his toes to look for a familiar head of dark hair, one that he’d been unconsciously looking out for as long as he could remember.

 _I can’t even remember the last thing I said to him,_ Kyungsoo thought, panic rising up in his throat.

At that moment, a flash caught his eye. Kyungsoo couldn’t be too sure, but he thought it looked like Jongin several feet away from him, trying to move past some people—

“Hey,” Luhan’s voice called. Kyungsoo turned reluctantly. Luhan was standing with half his body covered by the flowers, his dark hair and sickly pale skin contrasting with the pastel flowers. He looked grim when Kyungsoo met his eye.

“He said to come in,” Luhan said, gesturing with his thumb.

Kyungsoo nodded, and looked back at the crowd once more. There was still no sign of Jongin as far as he could see. Perhaps he too, was trying to bargain a way into seeing Yifan, holding stakes and knives and everything else he had on him to some poor vampire’s vital parts.

“You coming?” Luhan asked, urgently. Kyungsoo sighed. “Yeah,” he said, resigned.


	3. got hands like an ocean (push you out, pull you back in)

The small chamber was much like the rest of the hall in aesthetics; smooth walls, stray petals scattered on the floor. It was lit with scented candles arranged on the floor, all of them in different sizes and colors. The burning wax lent the room mixed scents, lavender, sandalwood and mint among others.

Shadows were thrown haphazardly, drawing Kyungsoo’s attention to the center of the room. There was a garden table and three chairs set out, all occupied by vampires. Two female vampires in tight black cat suits sat on either side of a male vampire, who was sitting with his body facing to one side, an arm resting on the table. He appeared to be brooding over something, and his finely chiseled face didn’t look pleased when he looked up at Kyungsoo’s entrance.

“Luhan tells me that one of the Nephilim has come to pay me a visit,” he said slowly, in almost halting Korean. The two girls flanking him eyed Kyungsoo up and down, looking like they were ready to eat him as soon as Yifan gave the order. Kyungsoo noted dimly that they were twins; everything down to their makeup was identical.

“And what have I done to be graced with the presence of the Nephilim?” Yifan asked.

Sarcasm practically dripped from his words. “The Nephilim has business with your leader, Jongdae, and he has ordered us to speak to you regarding a slightly delicate matter,” Kyungsoo replied, trying to recall how Jongin spoke whenever he wanted to charm a Downworlder. Most of them, aside from werewolves, appreciated manners and class.

“But forgive me,” Yifan said, lifting an eyebrow, “I thought Shadowhunters didn’t take orders from Downworlders?”

Some of the candles flickered, and Kyungsoo realized he had golden hair the colour of rich honey. Obviously dyed, but it made him look dangerous, his red eyes shining like hot coals.

“No, we don’t,” Kyungsoo replied, “especially not from Downworlders who’ve been going around, breaking the Accords.”

Yifan abruptly sat back, an amused smile decorating his face. The girls beside him purred, clearly catching on to some joke that Kyungsoo did not. “I don’t know what it is you speak of,” Yifan said, almost theatrically, “as far as I’m concerned, I haven’t been breaking any rules.”

“Oh, really?” Kyungsoo remarked, “then I don’t suppose you could share with me some red acid? Maybe tell me more about Ren and Indigo, and how they’re late on deliveries?”

The laughter and mirth leeched out of Yifan’s expression immediately. The twins hissed at Kyungsoo like angry cats. Kyungsoo wanted to be subtle in his questioning, but if Yifan was going to be difficult then might as well stop beating around the bush anyway.

“Red acid,” Yifan said slowly, “is blood. Nothing more.”

“And as for the deliveries?” Kyungsoo pressed further. It couldn’t be _just_ blood. There had to be something special about the blood in the first place for these vampires to be so hush-hush about it. And maybe it all had something to do with those vampires in the park too, along with the missing corpse. Kyungsoo could almost feel it in his bones, a missing link that would explain everything.

“I run a perfectly legal company that transports blood bags to hospitals. I take a small share of what I transport, and then sell it to the Night Children community. It’s all good business,” Yifan said, waving a hand dismissively.

“Aha,” Kyungsoo nodded, “I’ll take your word for that. But you see, Jongdae and I were discussing a different matter entirely not too long ago. Me and my friends came across some vampires one night, and they were acting quite strangely. Feeding and attacking without inhibitions.

“For me, I couldn’t care less if vampires wanted to feed off humans in the street. So long as you don’t kill someone, I don’t really care. But these vampires were set on killing off their victims as cruelly as possible. We had to kill them, of course. Except one body is still missing until today. Jongdae claimed to know nothing, having gone off for a long holiday overseas.

“But you,” Kyungsoo took a step forward, “you were the one left in charge. Which means you must’ve known something was going on.”

Yifan smiled widely at that, his fangs showing. He looked like a demon in that split second, candlelight flickering all over his face and eyes glowing bright red. “Very clever, Nephilim,” he purred, “very, very clever.”

A sudden force snapped Kyungsoo’s neck to the right, causing him to stumble and lean against the wall for support.

A vicious kick landed on the back of his knee, then a well-placed hit to his back. Kyungsoo dropped to the ground at once, coughing up spatters of dark blood.

“You’re bright, Shadowhunter, but you meddle in matters that doesn’t concern your kind,” Yifan snarled somewhere above him. Hands gripped the back of Kyungsoo’s collar, and he was lifted up into the air like a child.

Kyungsoo gasped, trying to breathe past the tight grip Yifan had around his neck. His fingers clawed at his collar fruitlessly. “Red acid is blood, yes,” Yifan said. He threw Kyungsoo down to the hard ground, his head connecting to the flat surface. Stars danced in his vision, and black threatened to overwhelm him. Down on his back, the smell of the candles was cloying in his nose.

“But it isn’t just blood,” Yifan’s face abruptly filled Kyungsoo’s vision, “it is the blood of intoxicated humans, of those who have lost their will to strange powders and potions.”

And even then, at the edge of blacking out, Kyungsoo understood. Downworlders were not affected by manmade drugs. But in the case of vampires, if they ingested the blood of someone who had been taking drugs, then it _would_ affect them just like drugs would a normal human being. Take away their morals, their control of their own instincts. A case study had been done in New York just a few decades back…

“It’s like adrenaline in your veins, you know?” Yifan went on, “it’s that much harder to kill one of us once we’ve had even just a tiny sip of it. Gives you that last bit of energy to hold on to life, even as true death comes for you,” Yifan placed a hand over Kyungsoo’s neck. 

“Unfortunately for you, boy,” Yifan continued, lowering his head to whisper in his ear, “now that you know this, I simply cannot allow you to live any longer. I am however, nothing if not merciful.

“You may choose between death, or become my subjugate. It isn’t all that bad as you may think. You get to live forever, you never need to eat…” Yifan went on with a sadistic smile on his face. Kyungsoo summoned all that was in his mouth, and spat right in Yifan’s face.

“I’d rather die than serve you,” he rasped.

That effectively wiped the smile off his mouth. Blood and spittle ran down one side of his face. “Girls,” he demanded in Mandarin. He released his grip on Kyungsoo, knocking his head one last time on the ground. His skull throbbed, a red haze coloring his vision. The pain alone was enough to keep him down despite his every instinct to get up and run.

“Honor this Nephilim scum’s wish and kill him. I have some delivery matters to attend to,” he heard Yifan say as he laid on the ground, willing himself to move. His limbs felt cumbersome and heavy, and it was all he could do to roll over on one side in an attempt to get up.

Someone climbed over him and placed cold hands on his neck and the back of his head. Kyungsoo knew judo, and he knew exactly what this position meant. He struggled, but the weight on his back was too heavy for him to overcome. Another pair of hands gripped his hands tightly, sharp edges cutting into his skin.

“Stay still and die quietly,” one of the twins whispered.

And Kyungsoo would’ve ceased his struggle, resigned to his fate, until the weight on him was abruptly thrown to one side. There was a loud, metallic crash; the tables and chairs had toppled over, he guessed. A growl emitted from the other twin, who roared as she released Kyungsoo, forgotten on the ground.

A few thumps and harsh, wet sounds later, a body dropped beside Kyungsoo, headless. Something black, covered with long hair rolled into a corner within his peripheral vision, and he gagged.

“Hyung,” Jongin’s voice broke through the haze. Gentle hands this time lifted him up, laying his head on something firm. Kyungsoo felt Jongin push up one of his sleeves, and the familiar burn of a rune being etched onto his skin sharpened his senses just a little. It gave him the energy to open his eyes properly and look up at Jongin.

“Hyung, are you okay?” Jongin asked, brows furrowed in worry. Kyungsoo realized that from this odd angle, his head must’ve been pillowed on Jongin’s lap.

“I thought I saw you in the crowd just now. Then I got distracted by that vampire from the other night, the one who went missing. She was here, and I cornered her but she wouldn’t tell me anything. Then she started screaming like a banshee and I had to…” Jongin trailed off.

The iratze on Kyungsoo’s arm was starting to work its effects on Kyungsoo. He felt like he could move now, and risked a chuckle. He ceased it however, when he felt his ribs protest.

“You’ve… never… met a banshee before,” Kyungsoo huffed. It was a little hard to breathe; unfortunately, multiple iratze runes wasn’t going to work. He just had to suck it up and choose his words carefully. Jongin blinked at what he said.

“Well, I— Kyungsoo, that’s not the point—”

Clumsy noises caught their attention. Jongin pulled out his dagger which he’d kept in his sleeve, holding the sharp end out. Instead of an attacker, Kyungsoo spotted someone trying to run away, limping on one high-heeled foot.

“Damn, one of them got away,” Jongin muttered, looking down at Kyungsoo to the empty doorway. The curtain of flowers lay tattered on the ground, parts of it soaked in blood. Yifan was nowhere to be seen; he must’ve gotten away just before Jongin came.

 _A pity_ , Kyungsoo thought, Jongin would’ve been able to take on anyone, even a vampire like Yifan.   

“I know what happened to her,” Kyungsoo groaned, sitting up. His hands went to his ribs when he felt pain shoot all the way up to his chest.

“Her? The one who went missing that night?” Jongin asked, helping Kyungsoo to his feet. Kyungsoo nodded and groaned, “Tell you later. I think Yifan broke my ribs.”

“Shit,” Jongin cursed, alarmed as he pressed a hand to Kyungsoo’s middle at once. Kyungsoo swatted him away, feeling a cold sweat shudder all over his body from the pain. The iratze was healing him, but not quite fast enough. And it certainly didn’t keep the pain at bay.

“Do you think you can walk?” Jongin was just asking Kyungsoo, when half a dozen faerie knights entered the room, their expressions solemn. They each held a staff, and blocked the entrance to the small chamber. Jongin placed himself in front of Kyungsoo defiantly.

Behind the guards, Kyungsoo could glimpse the guests staring into the room curiously. He’d almost forgotten that there was a party going on despite everything that just happened.

“The Queen demands your presence,” one of the knights spoke. It was not a request.

-

They were led into what Kyungsoo thought was a pathway to a smaller chamber like the one he just left, but instead was a long, narrow path with dirt walls on either side. The end could not be seen, but Kyungsoo suspected the walk wouldn’t be long.

“It’s okay, hyung,” Jongin whispered to him, mistaking his silence for nerves, “I’ll talk for us. You don’t have to speak if you don’t want to.”

Kyungsoo shook his head, still holding a hand to his ribs. The iratze had healed the worst of his injuries; it was only his ribs giving him trouble when he tried to walk and talk at the same time. He was certain that there would be bruises in the morning if they weren’t already there by now.

“I’m… fine,” he gritted out. Jongin was not convinced.

“You want another iratze, at least? I could do another one for you—”

“Silence,” a guard boomed from in front of them. Jongin glared at the guard, but said nothing.

Instead, he took one of Kyungsoo’s arms and draped it over his shoulder so Kyungsoo could walk a little easier. Jongin gave him a small smile when Kyungsoo looked up at him gratefully. He wasn’t even mad that every time Jongin tugged at him slightly so he could put one foot in front of the other, the pointy bits of his jacket would poke at his hands. Maybe he had a concussion.

Soon, they began to approach the Queen’s chambers, far removed from the hall where all the guests were.

Here, the dirt floor gave way to smooth walls once more, and witchlight was used to illuminate the area. Flowers strung together and hung from the ceiling like streamers, their faint scents tickling Kyungsoo’s nostrils. To him, it kind of smelled like a Bath & Body Works store.

Little sprites flew over their heads, laughing in their high-pitched, tiny voices. Kyungsoo could see a throne woven out of rattan and rose bushes up ahead, with a woman seated upon it. His heart hammered in his chest.

They came to a stop just before the throne, the knights seeming to know where to stop at some invisible border about two feet away from her throne.

“My Queen,” said the knight in front of Kyungsoo. He bowed deeply, and the others followed. Jongin dipped his head downwards, and Kyungsoo did the same. He was conscious of the unspoken rule that one did not look at the Queen directly until she spoke to you, or if she expressly invited you into her court.

“Speak,” the queen said, her voice rich, her tone elegant. Kyungsoo couldn’t see much beyond the roses on her throne and her bare feet, but he did notice her dress. It looked like it was made of a strange translucent material, glimmering in the light like crystals.

“We have brought you the Shadowhunters, Your Highness, as you instructed,” the knight said, keeping his head low.

“You’ve done very well. Leave us now,” she said dismissively. The knights obeyed, straightening at once and backing away from the throne before they went off down the hallway which they came from. Kyungsoo stood there with his hand over his middle somewhat awkwardly until the knights left, and the Queen’s chamber was silent.

“Jongin, Kyungsoo, rise,” the Queen said. Kyungsoo jolted more out of surprise than obedience, and winced when he found himself face to face with the Queen.

She was beautiful, terribly so, her appearance like that of a Greek goddess. Her hair was ash grey, tied up in a loose bun with flowers sitting upon her head like a tiara. Her dress wrapped around her slender body, glittering and twinkling almost with a life of its own.

But what was most strange about the Seelie Queen were her eyes. Her eyes were a piercing neon blue, moving restlessly from Jongin to Kyungsoo, seeming to take in everything she saw in great detail. Looking up at the Queen on her pedestal was like going through judgment with God himself.

“Greetings, Your Majesty,” Jongin said. “Greetings,” Kyungsoo pretended to bow.

Honestly, he just wanted an excuse to not look at her. There was just something unearthly about her, the way all faeries were. It was better not to look too closely at things he didn’t understand sometimes, and the Queen was definitely one of them.

“You’ve been causing trouble in my courts, I see,” she said idly, “spilling blood in the Seelie Courts usually has… consequences.”

“Will the consequences be less heavy upon our shoulders if we were given the chance to explain our actions?” Jongin asked, and flashed a smile. _Ah, there he is,_ Kyungsoo thought. The bad boy Shadowhunter everyone thought Jongin was. And the Queen was not immune to his smile; the corners of her lips lifted ever so slightly.

“You have the charms of a devil, but the face of an angel,” she remarked. _That’s nothing new,_ Kyungsoo thought.

“While you,” she tipped her head towards Kyungsoo, “you’ve provoked one of the most powerful vampires in the country. And he will not take it lightly.” Kyungsoo grunted in response, unsure of what to respond to that.

“Perhaps we shall hear your explanations and see where we are to go from there?” the Queen said, settling into her throne. Sprites then entered the chamber, carrying cushions with them. They giggled as they dropped the cushions to the ground behind Jongin and Kyungsoo.

The Queen gestured for them to take a seat, so they did. Kyungsoo had to sit gingerly on the ground, making sure not to jostle his ribs. Jongin watched him closely, hovering like a worried mother. Kyungsoo had to shoo him away for him to sit on his own cushion.

“Illuminate me,” the Queen said, when Jongin looked up at her.

“Well, Your Highness, we… received an invitation to your party while investigating rogue vampires in the Olympic Park. We had to kill the vampires unfortunately, and one of them went missing.”

Her facial expression looked like she didn’t think it was all that unfortunate.

“That had nothing to with the fey until one of our fellow Shadowhunters suggested that we could covertly meet with Yifan here at your party,” Jongin went on, “Needless to say, the meeting went sideways because Kyungsoo found out something that was supposed to stay quiet,” at this he sent Kyungsoo a look, “what it is, I don’t know yet, but… I think it’s safe to say that we have the grounds to arrest Yifan tomorrow. Or tonight, if the consequences are not too heavy to bear upon us.”

“Perhaps they will not be,” she murmured, eyeing Jongin once again like she was a cat trying to figure out if she should eat Jongin now or later.

Disgust mixed with jealousy coiled deep in Kyungsoo’s gut. Disgust because she was looking at Jongin like a sex object, jealousy because he could never look at Jongin as openly as she did.

That would be the same as wearing his heart on his sleeve, and he knew all too well how Jongin could crush it. Jongin was a heartbreaker, and he knew it.

“Perhaps not indeed, if you bestow generosity upon us tonight, my Queen,” Jongin replied. She appeared thoughtful, mulling over that. Probably wondering if keeping them in the Courts was worth her time or not.

“I suppose the matter has nothing to do with the fey. Your venue of choice for your little confrontation was rather poorly, I would say. However…” she tipped her head to one side with a coy smile.

“One of the conditions of the entering the party is that a guest may never lay a hand upon another. Should a guest cause harm to befall another guest, then I must delegate punishments, for I am bound to my word on the safety of all my guests.” Kyungsoo’s mouth dropped open in stunned shock.

“Your invitations lack the terms and conditions of coming to one of your parties,” Jongin said. Kyungsoo could see the anger seething underneath the surface, and knew it wouldn’t take long before Jongin got mad.

“But I haven’t told you what your punishments are. Staying in the Seelie Courts has been known to be… eye-opening for mortals, even those touched by the Angel,” the Queen’s lips quirked up into a smile.

“Stay here? What, in the Seelie Courts? Forever, like your lap dog or something?” Kyungsoo burst out. He couldn’t _stay_ here forever. Everyone knew what happened to Andrew Blackthorn, trapped in the Seelie Courts for seven years that stretched out into seven millennia, all because of a faerie who would not let him go.

“Forever is not long,” the Queen hummed, “it is but a blink of an eye to me. And the Courts are beautiful, timeless, and the people, everlasting.”

Kyungsoo always believed that there was a reason things didn’t last forever. _You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain_ ; he remembered this from watching Batman movies with Baekhyun, and he believed it because creatures who lived too long saw too much, and felt little. The Seelie Queen was the perfect example.

“You see, we hold these parties to ensure good relations with other Downworlders and Shadowhunters like yourself. But we fey do not engage in any matter that does not benefit us in some way; in this case, the guests are here this night to amuse us, and perhaps one another.”

“There’s nothing amusing about a curse,” Kyungsoo argued, “take it off us or—”

“Or what? You accepted the flower that which gained your entrance here, did you not? Thus you owe the courts a favor, upon which we will impose conditions. Since it is a party, I’m feeling generous.”

Kyungsoo sent her a filthy look. Jongin radiated hate like a heater beside him, fists clenched and stance ready to kill.

“You may leave of your own free will after you have amused us sufficiently. But I am not unkind; this will be… equally entertaining to you.”

“Oh, really?” Jongin scoffed.

“Oh yes, for one of you, at least. You both will be free if Kyungsoo kisses the one whom he loves the most,” the Queen smiled, her sharp tiny teeth showing.

That was when Kyungsoo’s heart plummeted right into the ground and his blood ran cold. _No_ , he thought.

_No… no, anything but this._

“Well, that’s probably going to be a bit tough since he can’t leave,” Jongin said sarcastically. He had yet to notice how still Kyungsoo had become, almost like a statue as he stared furiously at the ground. The Queen glanced at Kyungsoo, then back at Jongin. Her eyebrow lifted as realization dawned upon her, her wicked eyes glinting with glee.  

 _Don’t say it_ , Kyungsoo thought, shutting his eyes.

“My, whoever said it was someone who wasn’t present in my courts?” she asked, almost conversationally.

Jongin was struck silent at this, before he turned to Kyungsoo in confusion. “What?” he blurted.

“Ah. So he does not know,” the Queen said gleefully. Kyungsoo shot her a baleful glare. He should never have come to this disaster of a party. That damned faerie they’d bargained with that day was a mistake. Either way, Kyungsoo was going to pay for this.

“Know what?” Jongin demanded, looking at Kyungsoo now.

“Y-you… You’re in love with some faerie in the Courts?” he asked, “is that why you came here tonight after all? To get insider information and—”

“No,” Kyungsoo pushed at him roughly to shut him up. It made him feel physically sick to think about the words that he had to say, his feelings that Jongin had to know now. He hated the Seelie Queen, hated the fey and everything else that belonged to the Courts.

“No?”

“No, you dense idiot, Jongin.” Kyungsoo gritted, angry tears falling from his eyes, “Can’t you see? I’m in love with _you_.”

The stunned silence that followed was answer enough for Kyungsoo. Clearly, Jongin hadn’t been expecting it. Kyungsoo didn’t expect him to, not when gay Shadowhunters were completely out of the question, a matter that was not spoken, ever. Being in love with a mundane would be less humiliating.  

“But you—”

“Don’t,” Kyungsoo turned away from him, “I know you could never feel the same way. Just— we can get this over with, and we’ll never talk about it again,” he said flatly.

 _I’ll move away_ , he thought, pack up everything, move to the farthest corners of the Earth to get away from Jongin, so far away that Jongin would have no choice but to forget about him.

A tear dropped to the ground as he tried furiously not to cry. Maybe Baekhyun would come along. A friend was all he wanted, if he couldn’t have Jongin…

Kyungsoo felt a hand on his arm. He wrenched it away savagely, even as if his ribs protested in pain. He winced and tried to hide a gasp, hands grasping at his chest. He wasn’t even sure what he was trying to hold in anymore, just knew he felt like he was falling apart inside.

“Hyung,” Jongin said, pleadingly.

Kyungsoo took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. It took everything he had to turn and face Jongin again. He was thankful for once, that Jongin was a few inches taller than him, so he didn’t have to look him directly in the eye.

“Hyung, I—”

“It’s just one kiss, right?” Kyungsoo asked the Queen. She practically bristled with amusement and glee, a finger on her lips as she made no attempts to hide her smile.

“The curse doesn’t restrict you both to just one,” she said pointedly. Kyungsoo rolled his eyes at her. He knew he was being rude but at this point, he could be thrown out of the Institute over something he had no control of and fired from his job as a Shadowhunter. There was nothing to lose anymore, nothing as important as Jongin.

“Kyungsoo, I won’t tell on you if you don’t want anyone to know,” Jongin said, voice unsteady. Kyungsoo still couldn’t look at him.

“It doesn’t matter either way,” Kyungsoo mumbled. It wouldn’t matter because Jongin wouldn’t reciprocate his feelings. Even if Jongin kept quiet, Kyungsoo was fairly sure word would spread around the fey anyway. If the Queen knew, then her subjects too would know. It’d only be a matter of time before other Downworlders heard about it.

“Hyung, it’s okay—” Jongin insisted, stepping closer to him. Kyungsoo pulled him forward using the lapels of his jacket and looked up at Jongin. Kyungsoo felt tears streaming down his face; this was probably the last time he’d ever come this close to Jongin.

“It’s not okay,” Kyungsoo shook his head, “not for me.”

 Jongin lowered his head, and Kyungsoo closed his eyes. He felt the heat radiating off Jongin first, and then his lips touching Kyungsoo’s. Jongin was— surprisingly gentle. Kyungsoo had always assumed Jongin liked things a little rough.

Kyungsoo tried not to feel anything, not to think about anything but as soon as Jongin pressed down a little harder, his mouth was all that he could think about.

He tasted something sweet on his lips— honey, maybe. Jongin’s lips were unexpectedly soft. Kyungsoo suddenly had an idea of why Baekhyun was obsessed with kissing; it was an experience that could only be shared between two people, and Kyungsoo had no idea that something as simple as a kiss could hurt him so exquisitely.

He broke off a few seconds later, certain that Jongin could feel his pounding heart against his chest. Kyungsoo tried not to look shaken, but clearly the Queen could see through him.

“Was that insufficient, Shadowhunter? The Courts are open until sunrise—”

“Enough with the mockery,” Kyungsoo cut her off, “I’m leaving. Thank you for your _kindness_ , Your Majesty,” he snarled. She smiled warmly in return as if she’d just done him a great favor. 

“The fey thanks you for attending our little party. I trust you’ll be able to find an exit on your own?” she replied cordially. Kyungsoo didn’t even bother with a reply, just started hobbling off into the direction he came from. He heard Jongin calling after him, and ignored it.

“Hyung,” Jongin was pleading, “hyung, come on, at least let me help you home,” Jongin chased after him, which wasn’t that hard since he was the one with longer legs and was relatively uninjured compared to Kyungsoo. Damn Jongin and all his faultlessness.

“I’m fine,” Kyungsoo brushed him off when Jongin laid a hand on his shoulder, “I know my way home.” 

There was a hopeless sort of expression on Jongin’s face then, the one that wondered where the fuck they went wrong in so little time. Kyungsoo was upset with himself that he’d put that expression on his face, but also upset that Jongin just couldn’t see that Kyungsoo couldn’t be with him right now.

So he walked off. He walked through the narrow hallway, came out into the open where the party was still in full swing, and walked past what felt like every Downworlder in Seoul. Though it was impossible, he felt like they already knew what had transpired moments ago.

He could feel the mockery in their expressions, turning their noses up at him the way Kyungsoo himself would’ve done if a Downworlder was in his place.

As a Shadowhunter, he suddenly didn’t feel like an authority figure anymore. He felt small, meaningless, a speck in the universe. As a human, he felt lower than dirt.

All those years of laying low, keeping his feelings dormant inside of him now meant nothing. He knew what Jongin must thought of him now, cultivating their friendship in the hopes of something more one day. But that wasn’t why Kyungsoo loved him so very much and remained close to him even though it hurt to know Jongin would never love him that way.

Jongin was a friend, a brother. He was more than family to Kyungsoo, and he knew better than to push his feelings onto someone like Jongin.

A few minutes into wandering around the party trying to find a way out, a Seelie Knight approached him to lead him out of the Courts. Kyungsoo thought he saw pity or sympathy in his black eyes and wanted to draw his seraph blade out, but resisted out of good manners.

All he said was a terse ‘fine’, and the Knight brought him down to yet another narrow hallway, packed dirt on either side of him rising high up above his head. He didn’t notice much about the journey at first, mostly trying to walk upright. His ribs were really starting to hurt again, and he wanted to just sit down so he could draw another iratze properly.

It wasn’t until they made into some sort of cave where the low ceiling disappeared in fine mist and a pool that Kyungsoo stopped and realized that there had been an extra set of footfalls the entire time.

“I-I’m sorry,” Jongin stammered with his hands up when Kyungsoo turned around to stare daggers at him, “I didn’t know the way out either and I just…” he gestured at the Knight and Kyungsoo with some embarrassment. Kyungsoo sighed and turned away.

“How do I leave?” Kyungsoo asked the Knight, deciding to pointedly ignore Jongin until a later time.

The Knight looked decidedly unimpressed with the both of them. “You can reach up to the pool if you’re tall enough. If not, I suggest reaching something above so it can pull you up.”

Kyungsoo supposed it would have been weird if the Knight offered him a boost, which was really what Kyungsoo needed. After all, they weren’t best of friends. And if Baekhyun was here, a boost was what he would’ve gotten. But the universe clearly wasn’t on his side today.

“Kyungsoo, do you need help? I can—”

“No, I don’t,” Kyungsoo said shortly. He drew out his seraph blade, wincing with some pain when the motion hurt his ribs and held it up towards the pool. It was absolutely discerning to look at a pool upside down like this; he kept thinking water was about to rain down on him any second, but when he reached up, all that happened was ripples on the surface.

The tip of the seraph blade disappeared into the blue.

Then, just as he thought nothing would happen, a strong motion pulled him upwards, and Kyungsoo held on tight.

-

“I knew it,” Baekhyun declared, “I always thought Yifan was suspicious. I fucking knew it!”

“Baekhyun,” Suho said admonishingly, “language.”

“Who cares about language?” Baekhyun threw his hands in the air, “we have our culprit. Yifan practically admitted to it, even though he only talked about that… that red acid. I’m sure Jongdae doesn’t know about it, so all that’s left is to tell him, right?

“We won’t even need to get our hands dirty. Just let the vampires settle their own problems,” Baekhyun said, stretching his arms over his head and yawning.

It was late, Kyungsoo and Jongin having walked the entire way back to the Institute. Jongin hadn’t thought to bring his phone, and Kyungsoo’s had been bent beyond recognition from his altercation with Yifan. Walking was the only option they had left, as if the night couldn’t get any more pathetic.

And because they didn’t use the way they came in to leave the party, they were dumped onto the banks of some stream neither of them could recognize. It took hours before they found their way home, both of them keeping silent all the way. His ribs hurt from all the walking anyway, and didn’t have the energy for anything else. When they finally arrived on the steps of the Institute, Jongin had to pound on the large doors till Suho woke up.

Now, they were seated next to each other on the sofa in the office, if not somewhat awkwardly. Kyungsoo spoke little, allowing Jongin to do most of the talking. He conveniently left out the part where they had to kiss to leave the Courts, just skimming vaguely over the details. But Suho didn’t notice; Yifan’s involvement was too juicy for him.

“Yeah, I’ll make a call right now to Jongdae,” Suho murmured, a little distracted as he rustled some papers on the desk, presumably looking for a way to reach him. “I think Mr. Oh will be pleased we settled a case ourselves too.”

“Great,” Kyungsoo said, getting up, “so I can leave now?” His body ached from all that walking, and his right knee too, an old injury that acted up every time he overworked himself. And he felt overworked indeed, like cheese to a grater. Baekhyun looked over at Kyungsoo, and lifted an eyebrow.

“Yeah, sure. If there’s anything, I’ll wake you guys in the morning,” Suho said. Kyungsoo nodded without looking at him. “Alright. I’m gonna take a shower and sleep,” he said. Kyungsoo headed towards the exit, Baekhyun following after.

He was going to want to hear everything again ‘with details this time, bitch’, when they were in their rooms. However, Kyungsoo wasn’t in the mood and probably would never be. He’d have to just lie and insist he was too tired to talk.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of feet running over as they headed to their rooms. “Hey, Baekhyun,” a voice called, which Kyungsoo dreaded. What was Jongin thinking _now_?

“Could you give me and Kyungsoo a moment?” he asked, the sound of his footsteps slowing down as he approached them. Kyungsoo reluctantly turned, looking over at Baekhyun who was already nodding.

“Sure. Kyungsoo, I’ll be in your room,” Baekhyun said, patting his arm as he walked off. Kyungsoo willed him not to walk away, but Shadowhunters weren’t telekinetic. He turned away sullenly when he noticed Jongin looking at him with some kind of an expression on his face.

“Hyung, I— about just now. I meant it when I said I wouldn’t tell,” Jongin said softly.

“It doesn’t matter,” Kyungsoo said tiredly. The cat was out of the bag. There was no point in trying to keep things under wraps anymore, not when the Seelie Queen ripped the seams apart. Jongin took a step forward, and Kyungsoo flinched. He stopped.

“I— Hyung, please,” Jongin said pleadingly.

Kyungsoo wished Jongin wouldn’t try so hard. He wanted him to be cruel, push Kyungsoo away or mock him. Then it’d be so easy to hate him, forget him and let it be a thing of the past. But here he was, trying to right a wrong he didn’t commit, and Kyungsoo couldn’t do it. There was no way he could pretend they were okay anymore, that this wouldn’t change things.

“Stop it, Jongin,” he sighed, “you really don’t have to.”

Kyungsoo walked away, feeling his heart sink into the earth. It was bad enough that he’d ruined their years of friendship together. The last thing he wanted was to see the look on Jongin’s face as he pushed him away for the final time.

*

“Ah, shit,” Kyungsoo swore, hissing in pain as he put down the kitchen knife. Blood dripped from the cut on his finger onto the chopping board. He quickly used a cloth to wipe it away, lest he spoil the chicken he was cutting up until he sliced the tip of his finger open.

Kyungsoo turned away to head to the sink, running cold water over the cut. The pain was sharp, but it cut through the haze that had been hanging over his head ever since three weeks ago.

He’d been avoiding Jongin since the little incident in the Seelie Courts. By now, of course, Baekhyun knew what had happened (it took all but a Spanish inquisition to extract the whole story out of Kyungsoo) and always tried to lightened things up if he was in the company of both of them.

The rest didn’t know, but Kyungsoo suspected they thought they’d had a falling out, which was fine with him. So long as they didn’t pry. 

But his acting skills around Jongin weren’t all that great, and Kyungsoo couldn’t depend on Baekhyun forever to be a buffer between them. It was easier during the first week, when Kyungsoo was bed-ridden in the infirmary to let his ribs heal.

Only Jinah or Suho came in to check on him during the day, and Baekhyun would come in at night to sleep in the bed next to him in case he needed anything. After he was completely healed, he kept looking for things to do to keep himself busy, under the ruse of building up his stamina again. That was how he ended up in the kitchen in the first place, volunteering to cook lunch on weekdays whenever he could.

Seoul was quiet these days without much going on, so that only meant more time for him to brush up on his cooking skills. After lunch, he’d practice judo, but only if Jongin wasn’t already there in the practice room first. Otherwise, he’d just meditate in his room alone.  

He turned off the tap, examining the cut. It was a little deep, but he’d live. All he needed was a band aid for now, and he’d put something that would protect the wound properly later.

Kyungsoo held his finger up to reduce bleeding as he opened up drawers one by one in search of the medical kit he knew Suho had somewhere. He became a little frustrated when it didn’t show up after looking through five drawers; wasn’t it supposed to be easy to find? As he searched, someone padded into the kitchen and yawning loudly.

He assumed it was Baekhyun, who always woke up at noon and was so distracted he almost jumped when a hand wrapped around his injured finger. He whipped his head around, and realized that he’d forgotten someone else who liked to sleep in. Jongin.

“You cut yourself?” Jongin asked, blinking blearily. Kyungsoo, too stunned to reply, said nothing.

It had been a while since he was this close to Jongin, and it was worse because Jongin still looked adorably sleepy. _Angel be with me_ , Kyungsoo thought.

He released Kyungsoo’s hand, and shuffled away. Kyungsoo breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the moment was over.

Maybe Jongin had forgotten, or was too sleepy to comprehend who he was talking. _Yes, that must be it_ , Kyungsoo thought, feeling somewhat bereft.

But contrary to what he thought, Jongin suddenly bent to open a cabinet. He reached in, and brought out the medical kit Kyungsoo had been looking for. He could only stand there, dumbfounded by it all.

Jongin opened the kit up and rummaged for a band aid, and came back to Kyungsoo with one in hand. He took Kyungsoo’s hand again and pressed his finger lightly. Blood welled up, forming a small, red droplet. He frowned, and placed Kyungsoo’s finger into the warmth of his mouth, sucking the blood. Kyungsoo felt an intense blush coming on.

“You should be a little more careful,” Jongin murmured, removing Kyungsoo’s finger from his mouth.

Carefully, he began to undo the band aid, scrunching his nose up in concentration. Then he placed it over the cut, wrapping it around Kyungsoo’s finger neatly. “There,” he smiled, almost shyly, “you’re good to go.”

Kyungsoo stared at his finger as if he’d never seen it before. “Um… thanks,” he said, blinking. Then he snapped back into ignoring-Jingle-boy mode and turned back to the chopping board, grabbing the chicken. _Cut it into bite-sized pieces_ , he told himself, _you can do that right?_

“What’s for lunch today? Teriyaki chicken?” Jongin asked, leaning over the counter casually to watch Kyungsoo work. He hoped Jongin couldn’t see the tremor in his hands as he worked the knife through the flesh of the chicken.

“Yeah,” Kyungsoo said tonelessly. Jongin didn’t seem to notice, watching Kyungsoo cut up the chicken for a few seconds in silence.

Then, as if the thought suddenly occurred to him, he said, “Oh, right, I meant to tell you. Yifan was found dead last night in a ditch. His head was in a nearby dumpster.”

Kyungsoo’s hands stilled. “Dead?” he said, trying to hide his surprise.

After they’d reported to Suho that night, Suho had made a lengthy call to Jongdae. The very next morning, Suho told them that apparently Jongdae had someone of his own among Yifan’s underlings, and had learned of everything about the same time as they did.

He only asked to keep things quiet, until he really sniffed out who else was involved in the illegal blood trade besides Yifan. And that was what they did, until now. Kyungsoo supposed the secret was out, and Sehun’s parents could breathe easy now that the issue was completely resolved.

They’d been suspicious as to whether the problem of rabid vampires was really under control, but there was no question now that Yifan was dead.

“Jongdae called last night,” Jongin went on, “turns out one of his men had followed the scent of blood that night and took one of the bodies to show Jongdae what had happened. At first, he thought Shadowhunters were killing vampires for sport, until he realized the dead body’s blood smelled a bit different than usual.

“He also gave us a list of names of vampires that were involved with Yifan. They don’t even know that Jongdae was the one who got Yifan killed, so he wants them arrested and dealt with. Says they’re betraying their own kind, or something,” Jongin shrugged.

“So he’s throwing them to us now? How convenient,” Kyungsoo said, then cursed himself mentally because he wasn’t supposed to be talking to Jongin.

He continued to cut the chicken, hoping Jongin was still sleepy and bleary-eyed, but no such luck. Jongin’s eyes gleamed with something that looked like hope when Kyungsoo put all the chicken in one bowl. Or maybe he was just hungry.

“That’s the longest sentence you’ve said to me in a long time,” Jongin said. Kyungsoo took this moment to go into the pantry to get the ingredients for the marinade. He thought Jongin might take the cue, that Kyungsoo wasn’t ready to be chums again just yet.

Deliberately, he took his time choosing the things he needed, like teriyaki sauce, chili powder, and other items for the rest of the dishes later. Kyungsoo must’ve been in there for at least a good five minutes, more than enough time for Jongin to just give up and bugger off with Suho’s cereal.

Instead, Kyungsoo came out, arms laden with ingredients and saw Jongin seated at the table, munching on an apple.

 _He doesn’t ever give up, does he_ , Kyungsoo thought, feeling a sense of hopelessness consuming him. Jongin was too nice for his own good, sometimes. If only his limitless optimism wasn’t so misguided.

Squaring his shoulders and acting like he noticed nothing, Kyungsoo returned to the counter and placed all the ingredients on the table. He began to make the marinade, adding all the necessary ingredients for the chicken. It would have to sit for at least half an hour, then he’d had to work on the bean paste stew he promised he’d make for Jinah today. If he played his cards right, Jongin would get bored and just leave.

As Kyungsoo worked, Jongin was quiet. Kyungsoo mixed the chicken with the marinade, coating all the pieces thoroughly with a spoon. It was oddly therapeutic, and when it was done, he set it aside. Jongin too, was just finished up his apple and tossed the core into a nearby bin.

Kyungsoo expected him to leave after that. Instead, Jongin sat there, hands propping his head up as he continued to stare at Kyungsoo working in the kitchen.

It was unnerving, feeling the weight of Jongin’s gaze with every move he made. He washed up a few things in the sink just so he wouldn’t have to look at Jongin, but he could feel him staring. Kyungsoo didn’t know what kind of game he was playing, but he knew he didn’t like it.

“Can you stop?” Kyungsoo said, as he washed the chopping board with the sponge. He scrubbed at it a little harder than necessary, gritting his teeth.

“Stop what?” Jongin replied, from behind Kyungsoo.

“Staring. It’s creepy,” Kyungsoo said tersely, placing the sponge in its holder and flicking the tap on. The suds washed off as Jongin said, rather sincerely, “Sorry. I was trying to figure if you, well. Hate me.”

Kyungsoo pursed his lips, turning the board over distractedly as he tried to think of an answer. Of course, he didn’t hate Jongin. He could never hate him; it was a notion too ridiculous to even consider. But he couldn’t love him either, which left Kyungsoo in a strange grey area. It was easier to just push Jongin away, so Kyungsoo didn’t have to deal with the skip in his heartbeat every time he met Jongin’s brown eyes.

“I don’t,” Kyungsoo said finally, after a long beat. He wiped the board clean with a dry cloth, and turned to face Jongin. “I would never hate you,” he said honestly.

“Then,” Jongin shrugged, with an air of self-consciousness that was rare for him, “why are things different now? You walk out when I enter the same room. You don’t treat me the same anymore. I’m sick of not talking to you,” he mumbled, a little petulantly.

“Well— you _know_ why,” Kyungsoo said pointedly.

“I know. I do know,” Jongin nodded, “I just… never wanted things to be this way between us. I don’t think any less of you, you know. I-in case you thought I might,” Jongin added.

Kyungsoo smiled half-heartedly. Of course he didn’t. Under all that suave charm and heroic bravery, Jongin had a heart of gold.

“No, I know that,” Kyungsoo said, with a note of wistfulness. He went over to the other side of the counter, feeling emotions welling up inside of him, just like the way his blood threatened to spill from his cut. Except there was no band aid he could slap on for this.

Kyungsoo put the chopping board down. The creak of the chair was the only warning he heard. Quick as lightning, Jongin was suddenly _there_ beside him when he looked up, his tall frame taking up most of Kyungsoo’s field of vision. His familiar scent of detergent made Kyungsoo’s heart ache badly. He’d missed Jongin so much.

“Hyung,” Jongin said breathlessly, a hand coming up to tilt Kyungsoo’s chin upwards. His hand was shaky as he met Kyungsoo’s gaze.

There were dark circles lining Jongin’s eyes, something Kyungsoo hadn’t noticed earlier. Jongin looked like he hadn’t slept much, and Kyungsoo too hadn’t been sleeping well either, his thoughts keeping him awake as he contemplated possibilities every night, all of them involving him leaving the Institute or being stripped of his Marks and cast out as a mundane. Kyungsoo felt sick to the stomach just thinking about it.

“I miss you calling me Jingle. No one… says it like you do,” Jongin whispered.

“Jingle?” Kyungsoo repeated, dumbly. Jongin nodded, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed visibly.

“I can’t pretend, Jongin,” Kyungsoo breathed, “I can’t act like I don’t feel anything when I’m around you. I-I can’t be your friend when I know you know I want something more, and that’s not fair to you.”

“What if,” Jongin whispered hesitantly. The abrupt silence in that pause made Kyungsoo’s heart beat faster. “What if I said that… maybe I wanted more too?” Jongin asked.

Kyungsoo held his breath.

“And that I’ve wanted it for as long as we’ve been friends?” Jongin continued. Kyungsoo blinked up at him, hands jammed into fists stiffly by his sides.

He didn’t dare imagine it to be a possibility. Jongin didn’t wait for an answer. Very slowly, carefully, like they were back at the Seelie Courts, he kissed Kyungsoo.

Jongin’s lips were feather light over Kyungsoo’s, but he felt everything like the kiss of a flame. He didn’t know _how_ to kiss, so he just pressed a little harder against Jongin’s mouth experimentally.

Jongin took this an encouragement to go further and he pressed back lightly, then a little firmer when Kyungsoo grabbed at his shirt, more to hold himself up than in a fit of passion. Jongin bent further over Kyungsoo’s mouth, kissing him with varying pressure. It was strange, warm, but felt nice. Was this what it felt like to be in love?

Kyungsoo broke off first, mostly to breathe. His heart was pounding so loudly he could hear it in his ears, and wondered if it was the same for Jongin.

Reality suddenly came rushing in, and he wondered if what Jongin had said was true, and wasn’t just something he said out of misplaced pity, or for any other reason. Kyungsoo found he could hardly think straight, the sensation of Jongin’s mouth on his overpowering everything else. He released his grip on Jongin, and gripped the edge of the counter instead.

“I-I’m sorry,” Jongin said, running his hands through his hair and over his face, “I didn’t mean to— like, come on to you like that. I wanted to explain, but I— you were just—”

“Did you mean it?” Kyungsoo asked breathlessly, “what you said a minute ago?”

Jongin nodded, swallowing thickly again. “I did. Do you?” he asked.

“Do I what?” Kyungsoo blurted.

“Did you mean when you said you don’t hate me?” Jongin clarified.

“Oh,” Kyungsoo said, “of course I meant it. Things like that don’t just go away overnight or vanish without a trace.” Jongin took Kyungsoo’s hand into his, the one with the injured finger. Something stirred upon within Kyungsoo, an emotion he had not felt since the night in the Seelie Courts. Kyungsoo didn’t dare put a name to it.

“I saw the look on your face that night,” Jongin said quietly, “you looked like you wanted to leave. I was… so afraid you’d leave the Institute one day, without a word and never come back. I couldn’t—” he huffed a bitter laugh, “I would never be able to live with myself knowing I drove you to that point.”

“Leaving would make things so much easier, though,” Kyungsoo mumbled.  

“No!” Jongin insisted, “no, don’t say that. It made me realize that I had to say something. You were ignoring me, and it felt like I had done something wrong. Even everyone else thinks we had a fight or an argument at the Seelie Courts, and they keep telling me to apologize to you. But I owe you more than an apology,” Jongin said shakily.

“You don’t owe me anything, fool,” Kyungsoo muttered.

“No, I do,” Jongin squeezed his hand, “I should’ve told you that night that kissing you was the best thing that had ever happened to me. I’ve imagined it for so long, and you were always my favourite, special person. Sometimes it felt like it was the same for you too, but I was never sure so I kept quiet all these years. Then the Queen said all of that about you, and I couldn’t believe it.”

“I… don’t think I believe this is happening either,” Kyungsoo frowned. Jongin was saying that he too had been on the same boat all along. Except, what was Kyungsoo supposed to do now that he knew?

“But it’s true,” Jongin said plainly, “I’m in love with you, hyung.”

Kyungsoo’s heart leapt, and gave a sort of funny lurch. There was it, the one thing Kyungsoo had hoped and dreamed every day, every moment of his life since he realized he was in love with Jongin. It was so plain, so simple a fact, that all he could feel was overwhelmed. He looked up at Jongin, and couldn’t help but to laugh.

It wasn’t a funny situation, yet he couldn’t think of any way else to react to Jongin’s confession.

“Why are you laughing?” Jongin asked, confused.

“I’m not laughing at you,” Kyungsoo reassured him, “just at the situation we’re in. I’m in love with you, and you think you’re in love with me, but… I don’t see where we’re supposed to go from here.”

Jongin tutted at Kyungsoo. “How little you think of me. And we can date. If you want,” Jongin suggested.

“Dates are for people to get to know each other, though,” Kyungsoo said, “and we’ve grown up together. Don’t we pretty much know everything already?”

“I dunno,” Jongin shrugged, “we can do whatever you want. Things can be like they used to be, before this mess. Although I’d like to do more,” he admitted bashfully.

“We’ll see about ‘more; as soon you get some sleep,” Kyungsoo said, tracing the shadows beneath Jongin’s eyes. “Haven’t you been sleeping lately?” he asked, frowning. Jongin wasn’t one to stay up late very often. He was always going on about the benefits of resting for a full 8 hours, if not twelve.  

“Not really,” Jongin shook his head, pressing his face into Kyungsoo’s hand, “I told you. I was afraid you’d leave in the middle of the night so I stayed near your room, just in case. I wanted to catch you if you were leaving, and convince you not to go. Sleeping vertically is not my forte, it seems.”

“What?” Kyungsoo demanded, “you’ve been staying up every night for _three weeks?_ ”

Jongin nodded.

“You idiot,” Kyungsoo pinched Jongin’s cheek lightly, “There was no point. I couldn’t do it, Jingle. Packed my bags on the first night and everything, then cried ‘cause I can’t not be a Shadowhunter.”

Jongin pouted at that, and pulled Kyungsoo into a bear hug. “I’m glad you didn’t leave, hyung. I’d miss you. Everyone would.”

Kyungsoo buried his face into the crook of his shoulder. “I’d miss you more,” he mumbled back. In hindsight, he thought it was blindingly obvious that he would never been able to get over Jongin. But for things to turn out this way… he was happy, to the point where he wasn’t even sure if it was possible to be _this_ full of love for the man in his arms.

At that point, the pot of boiling water began to hiss and spit on the stove, and they broke apart at once.

*

In the heart of Seodaemun, Seoul, a cool breeze blew over the district. Trees danced in the wind, sending leaves and flowers fluttering away.Tinkling jazz music played from hidden speakers at Kamong Cafe. Kyungsoo sipped at his hot chocolate idly, savoring the rich taste of cocoa on his tongue.

His croissant sat half eaten on its plate; across him, Jongin eyed it for the second time in the span of four minutes.

“Jingle, can you just eat the damned croissant?” Kyungsoo said in exasperation.

They were posing as mundanes tonight, staking out at a café just across the street from what looked like an unoccupied, two storey office building. It was a popular hideout spot for vampires in the area, and if tonight went smoothly, some of the Night Children were to be arrested under suspicions of being involved in the illegal blood trade of intoxicated humans. Suho, Baekhyun and Sehun were staked out in different locations too, in case the vampires tried to make a run for it.

Except stakeouts always took forever, and Jongin was probably itching for something to bite. It was the second hour of their stakeout, and Jongin hadn’t eaten anything since he left the Institute.

“No,” Jongin said stubbornly, “I bought it for you. You eat it.”

“Well then, let me buy you something to eat,” Kyungsoo said, “you’ve been looking at it ever since it arrived. I know you’re hungry.”

Jongin shook his head. “They might come out any time now. I don’t want you to waste any money.” Kyungsoo curled his lip in annoyance. Jongin was so incredibly stubborn over nothing.

“Then eat the damned croissant or I’ll jam it down your throat myself,” Kyungsoo growled. Jongin laughed, taking his eyes off the office building for a moment.

“You can try,” Jongin quirked an eyebrow, stealing a sip from Kyungsoo’s hot chocolate. Kyungsoo knew this was a real mission but sitting here out in the open, dressed like mundanes without any glamours… It felt like they were on a date.  

Jongin and Kyungsoo had been very careful around each other, ever since Jongin dropped the bomb of the century on Kyungsoo just last week. They’d agreed to take things slow for now; neither of them were ready to jump into a relationship (the word itself gave Kyungsoo strange chills) right away, and breaking the news to everyone else around them was going to take time.

However, it was like rediscovering being _them_ again. Nothing had really changed, Kyungsoo and Jongin still knew each other, though it was like looking at the world in a new light. They still went about with their lives as usual, going on missions, practicing sparring and drawing iratzes on one another when they returned home.

Except there was a different energy now, and Kyungsoo always found himself looking to Jongin, just to reassure himself that Jongin was real, and his feelings were no longer one-sided, but mutual.

 “I always thought you liked girls,” Kyungsoo said to Jongin absentmindedly.

Jongin blinked in surprise, then smiled. “Yeah?”

Kyungsoo laughed. “C’mon, don’t make me feel stupid about it. You always have some girl hanging off your arm. I remember some of their names too. Let’s see, what happened to Chaeyeon? Or Neem, that half nixie, or the vampire with neon pink hair…” Kyungsoo counted them off with his fingers.

Jongin had the grace to look embarrassed. “I tried it out,” he shrugged, “and it’s… okay, I guess, being with a girl.”

“But I always knew that the only person I ever wanted was you, and after a while it became clear that I would never be good to a girl if I had someone else in my mind. So I always broke things off just before they get too serious,” he said plainly.

“I’m willing to bet many of those girls weren’t too happy to find out the hottest Shadowhunter in Asia wanted to break up with them,” Kyungsoo said, amused.

Jongin’s smile got a little wider. “You think I’m the hottest Shadowhunter in Asia?”

Kyungsoo pretended to take a bite out of the croissant. Why did Jongin have to pick up on that, of all things?

But evidently, Jongin didn’t mind it at all. He was smiling like a fool to himself after that, to which Kyungsoo hid his own smile.

“You know, on the topic of dating other people…” Jongin spoke, after about fifteen minutes of sitting in silence and pretending to people-watch. Kyungsoo sent him a curious look.  

“I thought... well, it was just a guess, but I thought you and Baekhyun could’ve been dating at one time,” Jongin said, then turned red to his ears. Shocked, Kyungsoo’s reaction was delayed by at least a full minute.

“What?” he croaked, “me? _And Baekhyun?_ ” He could almost picture Baekhyun laughing his head off if he ever caught wind about this. Kyungsoo clenched his fists unknowingly; there was no way to live this down if Baekhyun knew Jongin thought of them this way. It’d be endless married couple jokes till the day they died.

“How can you think us like that? We’re parabatai,” Kyungsoo exclaimed, unsure if he was supposed to laugh or cry.

“I mean you never know! Shadowhunters aren’t supposed to be gay and all that anyway, but here we are, right? You guys were close, and I just sort of envied that,” Jongin said, looking flushed.

“I envied you and Sehun too,” Kyungsoo smiled, thinking about it from Jongin’s perspective, “he’s your best friend, and I always feel like I could never compete.”

“Felt,” Jongin corrected him, “there’s no competition, hyung. He’s my parabatai, but you’re the boyfriend.”

Now it was Kyungsoo’s turn for his cheeks to flame in embarrassment. _How dare he call me boyfriend without warning me first_ , Kyungsoo thought. The fact that Jongin already considered them as boyfriends should’ve disconcerted him. Oddly enough, it didn’t.  

“And I can’t believe you couldn’t tell the way I felt,” Jongin went on, “I always felt like I was taking a risk every time I complimented you. Or if I glanced at you during a fight, instead of focusing on Sehun’s back. He’s supposed to be my parabatai but… I’d hate it if anything happened to you.”

“I tried hiding it too,” Kyungsoo defending himself, “I wasn’t looking at you all the time, ‘cause I was afraid you’d notice.”

“I did notice,” Jongin smiled, “I always knew when you were looking at me. You’re not good at hiding it, Soo.” Kyungsoo sniffled at that.

“But that was about it. You’ve never said anything that indicated you felt the same as I did,” Jongin lowered his voice, reaching over to touch Kyungsoo’s hand on the table.

 

Kyungsoo opened his mouth to answer. Instead, there was a loud crash, and his train of thought was lost as they looked towards the office building.

One of the windows on the second floor was broken, and a shadowed figure was pushing another towards the edge.

Jongin tore out of his seat first. Kyungsoo followed, running across the street towards the building. Kyungsoo skidded to a stop first, taking a few steps backwards to identify who it was up there.

“Guys, a little help here,” Sehun’s voice yelled. Then Kyungsoo thought he saw Sehun punch the vampire in the face, which gave him enough time to dance away from the broken edge of the window. A curtain flapped out, flinging bits of glass down to the ground. It was one of those fancy buildings with ceiling-to-floor windows, which meant a concussion and a broken limb waiting to happen.

Kyungsoo looked around desperately. _There’s no time, think, Kyungsoo, think!_

There was only one entrance visible, and it was a locked door. Jongin was ramming his shoulder into it to get in, but Kyungsoo had no doubt it was jammed shut from the other side. Then he spotted something on the side of the building.

He rushed over to shove at Jongin. “Stop, Jongin, there’s a ledge on the side of the building. If you can scale it, you can get up there quickly,” Kyungsoo pushed him away from the door.

Jongin took one look at him and began to go around to the right side of the building, where the first floor windows had a narrow ledge. It would take a superhuman leap upwards just to grab one of the pipes running along the wall of the building and then swing towards the broken window, but Kyungsoo had absolute faith in Jongin.

He just prayed that he wouldn’t break his shoulder trying to break down this stupid door tonight. Kyungsoo took a few steps back, and ran forward, bruising his arm against the heavy door.

“Guys, a little help!” Sehun yelled from above. Dimly, Kyungsoo noted that this was all in public and they were risking exposure of the supernatural world to mundanes, but there was no other option.

Kyungsoo just put more force behind each time he ran into the door, and on the third try, he broke through it.

Inside, the building stank and was incredibly dark. Curtains obscured light from outside, and only the dim light from the open door illuminated humped shapes on the ground. Kyungsoo tested his arm gingerly; it felt sore, but he could still move. Perhaps it wasn’t his best idea to use his arm as a ramming bat. Above him, he could hear thumps from the ceiling, indication that Sehun was still fighting for his life.

But down on his level, there was nothing he could see or hear.  Kyungsoo’s Sight rune was starting to kick in when something leapt right into him, and he ducked just in time.

Kyungsoo grabbed for his dagger hidden in his sleeve, and got to his feet. He found himself face to face with a female vampire, who looked rather familiar.

“Ahah,” he squinted, recognizing her face, “you’re one of the twins, aren’t you?” She leapt at him again, and he moved to the side, slashing at her middle with his dagger.

He’d dipped it in holy water earlier, and her wound sizzled loudly. The smell of burnt flesh was cloying in his nostrils. She clutched at her open wound, snarling at him.

Kyungsoo didn’t take his eyes off her, until he heard a muffled yell from upstairs. Then he could hear someone running, followed by unearthly howls. _Jongin must’ve landed nicely_ , Kyungsoo thought. The vampire noticed too, sniffing the air lightly. She bristled with a fresh wave of anger.

“Your fellow Nephilim will pay for what he did to my sister,” she hissed.

Kyungsoo frowned. “No, he won’t,” he said, and feinted off to her left. Her right arm came up, sharp nails intended to dig into his flesh. Kyungsoo swung his arm around, and sliced her hand off neatly.

She didn’t seem to notice, crashing into him with a force that sent him moving backwards. In the dark, Kyungsoo fumbled and dropped his dagger. With no other weapon he could reach, Kyungsoo let his judo training kick in and grabbed her head with both hands. She fought and flailed like a crazed animal; Kyungsoo found the spot he was looking for, and twisted her neck.

The next moment, her lifeless body slumped to the ground.

Kyungsoo grimaced at the sight, and groaned at the pain in his arm. Even though it hurt, his work wasn’t done yet. He looked around for his dagger. It lay a few feet away, glinting with what dim light it captured.

Kyungsoo picked it up and forced himself to behead her; as much as he didn’t want to kill her, she was going to avenge her twin’s death by killing Jongin, and Kyungsoo obviously wasn’t going to let that happen.

He tossed her head over his shoulder when it was done, dropping the dagger on the ground. Vampire blood was hard to clean off weapons. Kyungsoo reached for his seraph blade strapped to his back instead, whispering Raphael to set it flaring. Gripping the hilt, he proceeded to find a way upstairs.

No other vampire came at him as he inched around the first floor, looking for a staircase. It seemed as if all of them had been distracted by Sehun’s presence, and his assumption was proven right when he found the stairs and went up.

It was bloody mess everywhere, the stench of ichor and blood so thick it was like a haze. He came across two empty rooms, the walls and floor spattered with old blood stains. In the third room, Jongin, Sehun and Suho were there, seraph blades pointed at the neck of a vampire.

“Please, please don’t kill me!” the vampire was begging Jongin on his elbows and knees. Kyungsoo supposed the sight of Jongin could be a little intimidating, with the right lighting. It was just hard to keep in mind these days, when Jongin always fell asleep on Kyungsoo’s shoulder during lazy afternoons.

“I won’t,” Jongin said, swinging his seraph blade over his shoulder, “you’re lucky that it’s a devil-take-hindmost night tonight. If you admit to your crimes, we’ll probably just let you go after some light torture,” he said, checking his nails.

“Anything, I’ll do anything,” the vampire groveled. Sehun gave Jongin a disgusted look.

“Really?” Sehun said indignantly, “I almost fell out of a window because of this guy. _And_ I broke a finger punching him in the face.”

“Kill him if you want then,” Jongin said, already bored by it all. He looked relatively unharmed, save for one of his sleeves, which hung in tattered pieces. That was when Kyungsoo put his blade away, seeing no need for it. All of them turned to look over at him, and Jongin brightened at once upon the sight of Kyungsoo.

“Hyung, you’re okay?” he walked over with his seraph blade, the vampire forgotten. Kyungsoo almost choked; they were supposed to keep things quiet and inconspicuous. Jongin coming over all concerned was _not_ subtle at all.

Suho and Sehun seemed to share the same sentiment, sputter after Jongin. “H-Hey,” Suho called, “you’re not supposed to walk away during an interrogation!”

Jongin seemed to have heard nothing. He was looking with concern at the jagged lines the female vampire had left on Kyungsoo’s left side when she had been flailing wildly. “I’m fine,” Kyungsoo waved him away, and dropped his hand with surprised pain when his shoulder protested.

“You _are_ hurt,” Jongin muttered, touching his shoulder lightly.

“Just deal with the vampire first—”

“Jongin! I just broke a finger _on my dominant hand_. It’s possible I may never write again. What the hell is going on?” he demanded, looking over at the both of them. The vampire on the ground looked horrified to be caught up in Shadowhunter drama. Kyungsoo wanted to die inside.

“Nothing,” Jongin lied blatantly, finally turning around to face his parabatai. Sehun pointed his seraph blade at Jongin. Suho chortled, holding up another dagger at the vampire.

“Something’s going on,” Sehun said, “and I don’t like it. Since when do we keep secrets from each other?” he asked Jongin. He looked almost… _emotional_. Either he was high on adrenaline or Jongin didn’t know how to keep a secret properly.

“There’s no secret here,” Jongin protested, but the rest of his sentence was lost among Sehun’s yells as he began preaching about brotherhood and eternal bonds.

“Look, we still have a vampire to arrest here…” Suho tried to say over their squabbling. It was hopeless; even as children, they were always louder than him. Kyungsoo sent him a sympathetic look that went unnoticed. He only had two eyes, and he had to keep both on the vampire.

 _Guess there’s no helping it_ , Kyungsoo thought, sighing inwardly at the parabatai who were still arguing away. He tried to comfort himself in the fact that Sehun and Suho were bound to find out anyway; they had to have come out to them sooner or later.

“ _We’re dating!_ ” Kyungsoo bellowed at the top of his lungs. Sehun and Jongin shut up at once, looking over at Kyungsoo. Sehun practically went through the entire spectrum of emotions; from shock, to something that looked like horror, and finally settling for a smug look. He looked at Kyungsoo, then back at Jongin with a knowing smile.

“By the Angel,” Sehun smirked, “you finally grew a pair and manned up to him?” he said to Jongin.

“Well, no,” Jongin shook his head, “see, it’s kind of a long story—”

Loud sirens abruptly interrupted him midsentence. Kyungsoo immediately stiffened at once; in all the commotion, he’d forgotten that they were smackdab in the middle of the city. After that big mess on the street, someone must’ve called 911 and police were about to surround the area now. And not a single person in that room wanted anything to do with mundane cops.

“Shit,” Sehun sheathed his blade, “c’mon, guys, get out, out now!”

*

“Thank you for dining with us. The total will be 49, 500 won, sir. Will you be paying by cash or card?” the waitress with their bill said brightly.

“Cash,” Jongin replied first, and fished out some crumpled notes from his back pocket. Kyungsoo was left sitting there awkwardly with his hand reaching halfway into his jacket.

“You always pay,” Kyungsoo said accusingly as the girl went off with their bill. “A gentleman always pays,” Jongin replied automatically. Then he gave a sheepish smile when he realized there was more than one man in the conversation and zero girls.

“I’m not your girlfriend,” Kyungsoo muttered under his breath.

“You’re my boyfriend,” Jongin nodded, “and I’m just trying to be a good boyfriend.”

After running halfway across the city to escape the cops, they managed to return safely to the Institute, and threw the vampire they’d caught into the Sanctuary where Sehun’s parents would deal with him. And because he knew Jongin would be hungry, Kyungsoo asked Jongin out to a late dinner at his favorite Chinese restaurant. Or more like, physically forced him out when Kyungsoo said he would pay and Jongin threatened to glue himself to his bed.

In situations like this, Kyungsoo still felt strange about it all; he was happy to be with Jongin, but still had no idea how to navigate admitting and being in a gay relationship. Well, at least the admitting part was down for now.

Kyungsoo had almost forgotten that he all but yelled to the world and to anyone who was listening that he was dating Jongin earlier in Seodaemun. It wasn’t until he got out of the shower and went to the living room to ask Baekhyun where he’d placed the hairdryer that they started firing questions at him one after another.

“Hey, Sehun just told me you’re dating Jongin—”

“Is it true?”

“Did Jongin give you a ring?”

“How many dates have you been on?”

“When were you _planning to tell us_?”  

Sehun had apparently told everyone about it within five minutes of stepping into the Institute. He didn’t even wait till _after_ his shower to do it, just blathered the news to anyone who happened to be around. Fortunately, he knew how to keep his mouth shut around his parents. Otherwise, the entire Shadowhunter community in South Korea would know by the first break of dawn.

Kyungsoo played it cool, claiming that he’d answer all their questions after he blew dry his hair first.

Instead, he crept to Jongin’s room, dried his hair then and told him about the situation outside. Jongin had agreed to eat out, though he still put up an unnecessary fight about who should pay for what.

For now, both of them thought it was better to just stay out of the Institute till everybody calmed down in the morning. Kyungsoo however, knew his parabatai too well, and would be camping out in his room to catch him sneaking in. The only options Kyungsoo had right now were to stay out all night, or go back to the Institute and sleep somewhere else.

 _Jongin’s room?_ His mind unconsciously supplied. Kyungsoo blushed furiously at the thought of that.  

 _‘Course you’re not gonna sleep there_ , he thought to himself. It would put both Jongin and himself in a compromising position. Not to mention the fact that he didn’t think he was ready for that kind of intimacy just yet…

“Penny for your thoughts?” Jongin’s voice broke through Kyungsoo’s thoughts. The waitress had just returned with his change and receipt, and Jongin was tucking it into his wallet. He looked at Kyungsoo curiously.

“N-nothing. Just wondering what to do now that we’re free,” Kyungsoo lied.

“Well, we won’t do anything too wild tonight,” Jongin said, getting up, “your shoulder still hurts, doesn’t it?” Kyungsoo had all but forgotten about it. He rubbed at it tentatively; it ached, but only mildly so. He’d popped two pain killers and drew an iratze over it, so it was bearable for now.

“C’mon. We can just walk,” Jongin offered his arm. Kyungsoo stood, hesitating only for a moment before he took Jongin’s proffered arm. Together, they walked out of the restaurant, arm in arm.

It took a minute for Kyungsoo to realize why he’d hesitated. _Is this a date?_ he thought. He wasn’t aware that it was. Or was Jongin just being nice?

In any case, Kyungsoo was just thankfully that he had on his oversized hoodie, which was handy as it seemed they wouldn’t be using glamours tonight. He preferred anonymity, and flipped the hood over his head. They walked in companionable silence on the sidewalk, letting the sounds and sights of Seoul city’s nightlife wash over them.   

He was surprised that this part felt— normal; _walking_ with Jongin was nothing new, it seemed. Kyungsoo had been expecting his heart to be jumping out of his chest for some reason, but he was secretly glad that some things didn’t necessarily have to change between them. He liked the platonic affection just as much as he wanted hug Jongin tight and never, ever let him go.  

As they passed a row of electronic stores pouring bright, fluorescent lights on the streets, a chaotic mix of pop music tracks playing all at once, Jongin turned to Kyungsoo and said, “So…”

“Mm?” Kyungsoo cocked his head to one side, “something up?” Jongin bit down on a smile.

“Kind of. I mean, as much as I like this quiet date with you...” Ah, so Kyungsoo’s earlier question was confirmed. _This_ is _a date_ , he realized. Damn. He needed to pick up on cues like this a little faster if he was going to be a decent boyfriend to Jongin.

“We can’t walk forever,” Jongin went on, “and we still have to go back to the Institute. I don’t know about you but I’m kinda worn out,” he laughed in embarrassment. Kyungsoo nodded along, but he still couldn’t quite see the point.

“So I was just wondering if you wanna… like, sleep over. In my room,” Jongin asked, not looking Kyungsoo in the eye.

“Pardon?” Kyungsoo blurted. Was Jongin a mind reader or something?

“I won’t do anything,” Jongin immediately said, “I won’t like, touch you in any inappropriate places or do anything you don’t want me to. U-unless… you want me to?” he lilted his sentence into a question uncertainly. Kyungsoo grinned.

“Hey, you just said you were worn out,” Kyungsoo nudged him playfully. Jongin laughed in mild embarrassment, ducking his head low.

“Well, if we’re both that worn out, then we can just cuddle,” Jongin replied, and lifted his eyebrows slightly. “You in? I can boost you up into my room from my window. We can reread Great Expectations, hug, kiss…” Kyungsoo burst out in laughter at Jongin’s audacity.

Jongin chuckled along quietly at Kyungsoo’s reaction, and Kyungsoo couldn’t resist coming to a stop and wrapping his arms around Jongin. “Oh, Jingle,” he sing-songed, unable to hold back his smile, “you could’ve just said, you know. Because we can do at least two things on your list right now.”

“We can?” Jongin asked incredulously.

Kyungsoo nodded, then tiptoed. He tilted his head upwards, and placed a gentle kiss on Jongin’s mouth. Jongin didn’t respond at first, until Kyungsoo licked his bottom lip cautiously.

“ _Hyung_ ,” Jongin whispered in a low voice. His arms came around Kyungsoo, and right there in the middle of the street, Jongin kissed Kyungsoo soundly. Pedestrians were walking past them, but Kyungsoo couldn’t bring himself to care anymore.  

Through their clothes, Kyungsoo could feel Jongin’s heartbeat and couldn’t imagine being any more in love with Jongin than he was now.


End file.
